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Chapter Fifty Six:
"Finding The Nemeton."
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IT HAD BEEN HOURS SINCE THE THREE OF THEM WENT UNDER.
And in those hours Annabeth had spent her time either sleeping, crying, or having a panic attack. And after five hours of pacing in the back room of Deaton's clinic he suggested that the three teenagers in the room leave and take care of themselves, as in eat food and get some rest, because if she was honest she couldn't remember the last time she had done either of those things.
Considering everything in their lives had gone to shit, she, Lydia and Isaac all decided that they would feel much more comfortable just staying with eachother. They thought it best if they waited as a unit for their friends to come out of their sacrificial ice baths. None of them had known just how long it would be until Scott, Stiles and Allison would wake up. So they all went to their places (Isaac's being Scott's house where he seemed to be staying) and they packed a few things, agreeing to stay at Annabeth's apartment since she was pretty much all alone without a father and also without a sister for the time being.
So when the two teens got to her place they made themselves at home, and together they did whatever they could to not think. That was the rule they made together, they couldn't think about what was happening at the clinic, they told themselves that Deaton had it handled and he promised to call them as soon as anything changed in any of their states.
Let's just say... it was a very long and excruciating 16 hours.
But on the bright side, she felt even closet with Lydia and Isaac, and now the curly blonde boy and red-haired girl were talking more than they ever had. Lydia had even apologized for how she treated him back in her "popular girl" days, and it was all water under the bridge as they hugged it out.
The hard part of it all was Annabeth being awake while Lydia and Isaac were asleep. The "not thinking" thing only worked for so long, and Isaac and Lydia were her distractions from falling into the dark pit that is her mind. So when they were out, her thoughts came to play and it was... not pretty.
She would lock herself in the bathroom, and just lay there on the floor sobbing, so hard that her chest ached and she felt as if she couldn't breathe. After a little bit of being curled up on the bathroom rug Isaac would find her, considering he had insomnia and could only sleep for a certain amounts at a time. The boy would carry her in his arms before placing her back on the couch and holding her close, then they would just sit there and talk about whatever they were feeling.
Sometimes it was Annabeth explaining to him that she really wants to Stiles' girlfriend, and then she would explain that she's terrified because she's never even been someone's girlfriend before. And other times Isaac would talk about how he really like her sister, but at the same time he felt guilty because Allison was Scott's ex girlfriend and he and Scott were getting closer and closer with everyday that passed.
Neither of them had answers for one another, it was just good to be heard.
And when Isaac was actually sleeping really good, Lydia would find her. And two best friends would talk as well about pretty much anything. But the most common was the two on her computer looking up what a Banshee is and discussing what this means for her strawberry blonde friend. The Martin girl was freaked, and Annabeth didn't blame her. If she was a supernatural creature that was connected to the dead she'd be pretty terrified herself. But she told her that no matter what, she was always gonna be there for her, come hell or high water.
And Lydia promised her the same when she told her about what she had figured out about herself. Lydia was the second person she had told about what actually happened that night at the motel, and now she knew that when she was bit that she wasn't immune but she also wasn't a werewolf. She showed the girl her power soon after, and the emerald eyed beauty said exactly what she had thought when she found out.
"So, you're basically Carrie White?"
"Yes, exactly!"
So while the 16 hours were as she said before, excruciatingly long. In a weird and sort of twisted way she truly felt that the three of them needed it. If they were all gonna be a team, they would need to bond and really get to know eachother. And she could definitely say that they as a unit did exactly that.
But all things must come to and end, and eventually Annabeth got a call from Deaton telling them to head back to the clinic. Not because they were awake, but because he was certain that they should wake up soon. How he was certain, she wasn't sure. But she trusted the man, so she and the other two got themselves ready and they made their way back to the animal clinic.
Once they got to Deaton's Annabeth and Isaac took their seats on the floor against the brick wall, Lydia decided to sit in the chair nearby while Deaton was on his feet with his arms crossed over his chest, his brows furrowed as he kept his focus on the three teenagers in the ice baths.
And after minutes of waiting, one of the three of them finally woke up. Her sister being the first as she clutched onto the rim of the tub, water sloshing over the edges. And not even minutes later Stiles was next, then soon up came Scott, and for once in the very long 16 hours of waiting, Annabeth finally felt like she could breathe again.
"I saw it, I know where it is." Scott insisted as he crawled out of the tub, dripping water all over the floor from his soaking wet frame as she, Deaton, Lydia and Isaac rushed over to them all.
"We passed it, there's a stump, this huge tree." Stiles explained, "Well, it's not huge anymore. It was cut down. But it's still big, though, very big."
"It was the night we were looking for the body." Scott said, adding onto his best friend's words.
"Yeah, the same night you were bit by Peter." Stiles continued, glancing over at his puppy eyed best friend.
"I was there too." Allison joined in, grabbing her sister's attention who's eyes widened at the news she had no clue about. "Beth, you were there, too. Don't you remember? We were moving into Beacon Hills on the first night."
Annabeth's lips parted in shock, memories floating around her mind almost on cue. "We got out of the car because she almost hit someone, then we both found an inhaler but she told us to forget about it and get back in the car."
"It was me!" Scott exclaimed, dark coffee brown eyes wide. "You guys almost hit me!"
"Holy shit." She murmured to herself, she couldn't believe that she had already sorta kinda crossed paths with Scott Mccall before she even met him. What were the chances that her mom had actually hit him and that was how they met? There was just so many possibilities and coincidences, her mind was reeling.
"We can find it." Scott said firmly.
For a moment there was nothing but silence in the room, because although there was a huge weight that was lifted from their shoulders, there was the concern about the fact that the three of them had been under for such a long time.
"You guys were out a long time." Isaac speaks up, an uncomfortable look covering his features.
Stiles who was sitting on the rim of the tub glanced at him, "How long is a long time?"
"16 hours." Deaton answered.
All three of their expressions quickly formed into either disbelief, or just sheer irritation. (Mostly Stiles on the irritation scale) Much like the four of them who had to sit and wait for them to wake up, they weren't very thrilled about being under for that long either.
"We've been in the water for 16 hours?" Scott questioned, the tone of utter disbelief in his voice.
"And the full moon rises in less than four." Deaton replied, which was news to Annabeth considering the fact that the only thing she had been worried about the past 16 hours was whether her friends and twin sister were gonna wake up, but now? She had realized just how screwed they actually are.
There was no more time for games, they had to move quick. Because their window to save their parents was closing, and it was closing fast.
After getting the soaking wet teenagers some towels, they were all discussing the game plan for what they should do next. Scott-- who was feeling quite hopeless like before, had suggested going back to Deucalion, thinking that maybe he could still save his mother and the others if he did what he wanted.
Nobody in the room had much to say, the desperation they felt leaving them all speechless. Except Stiles, of course. Not having an opinion on something has never been in his repertoire since he learned how to speak, his dad's words, not hers.
"No, dude, you are not going back with them." Stiles tells his best friend sternly, sitting on the edge of the tub infront of Annabeth who was sitting behind him. She took the towel from his grip and wrapped the fabric around his shoulders as he awaited Scott's response.
She couldn't help but be a little clingy when it came to the honey eyed boy, a part of her thought he wouldn't wake up and that she would never see him again. So now every bone in her body is telling her, "Do not let that boy go!" So now, she was like a panda bear clinging onto his back, but he didn't seem to mind as he placed his hands over hers, squeezing them gently.
As if reassuring her that he wasn't going anywhere.
"I made a deal with Deucalion." Scott replied, his gaze set on the floor.
More like a deal with the fucking devil.
"Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with the devil?" Stiles questioned.
"I was just thinking the same thing, actually."
"See!" Stiles exclaimed, shooting a glance at Scott.
"Why does that matter, anyway?" Isaac asked.
"Because I still don't think that we can beat Jennifer without their help." Scott responded.
Allison glanced helplessly over at Deaton. "He trusts you more than anyone, tell him he's wrong."
"I'm not so sure he is." Deaton replied, Allison's face paling in reaction to his words. "Circumstances like this sometimes require that you align yourself with people you'd normally consider enemies."
"So we're gonna trust him, the guy that calls himself death, destroyer of worlds? We're gonna trust that guy?" Isaac queried, a look of disbelief crossing over his features.
Annabeth's nose scrunched, her chin resting on Stiles' shoulder. "He didn't actually call himself that, did he?"
"I wish I could say I'm joking right now." Isaac deadpanned.
Wow, somebody's a dramatic Alpha who thinks way too highly of himself.
"I wouldn't trust him, no." Deaton makes clear, "But you could use him to your advantage. Deucalion may be the enemy, but he could also be the bait." After those words left the man's lips, Annabeth heard the sound of a door opening nearby, then there was a clattering sound that came along soon after. After giving them all a pointed gaze, Deaton walked over to the threshold to see who had entered his clinic.
"I'm looking for Lydia." A voice said, one that they all knew well, and not for a good reason. All the other teens in the room glanced at the emerald eyed beauty, and she slowly walked over to the door next to Deaton. Annabeth-- feeling protective over her friend walked alongside her, giving the Alpha boy around the front desk a glare.
"What do you want?" Lydia asked him, her voice soft and cautious.
"I need your help." Ethan replied, somewhat desperately.
Annabeth's eyes observed his stance, he seemed off, nervous even. "With what?"
"Stopping my brother and Kali... from killing Derek."
After getting that very alarming warning from Ethan, they all had to think quick on their feet. The plan was for Lydia to go with him, Annabeth was gonna go and find the Nemeton with Stiles, and Isaac, Scott and Allison were headed back to her place to find something to track her father with. Once the plan was set and the three who went under were in dry clothes again, they wished eachother good luck and went on their way.
As Annabeth was in the jeep with Stiles, she couldn't help but notice how bad the storm outside was getting. And she lived in Beacon Hills for awhile now so she knew what their storms were like, but this? This was something completely different, like it was being caused by something with immense power, something that was hellbent on being an obstacle in their way.
She knew it was Jennifer, there was no doubt in her mind. She was the most powerful being in town right now and she was adamant on making a rescue plan very difficult for them.
"Is it me or is the jeep kind of swaying a little bit?" Stiles questioned as he struggled to keep the vehicle steady.
"No, I feel it." She grips onto the dash as the car jumps from the rough driving through the dangerous winds. "It's Jennifer, she's controlling the weather."
"Well, she's doing a hell of job." Stiles replied, a huff escaping his lips as he squints and leans forward, "Now it's getting all foggy, I can't see shit. Can you?"
Annabeth leans forward and looks through the windshield, but she can't see much of anything either. "Shit, no, I can't." As she realizes that Jennifer's plan to wipe them off the chess board is succeeding, she begins to panic, the air in her lungs wearing thin, feeling like someone is pressing a brick on her chest as thunder rumbles. "Stiles, what do we do?"
"I can't stop now." He shakes his head, "We have to keep going."
Her eyes widen, "But what if we-- Stiles, look out!"
Purely out of instinct she grabs the wheel and pulls it hard so they don't crash into the tree that they were speeding towards, but in doing so she accidently swerved the jeep right into another tree that she didn't see because of the fog surrounding the path. And since she was so close to the steering wheel, she and Stiles had hit their heads, both of their skulls colliding into each other resulting in them being knocked out simultaneously.
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She hadn't known how long she had been out, but she does know that she awoke to someone roughly shaking her. As she slowly opened her eyes she was hit with immense pain in her temple, a groan fell from her lips as her eyes adjusted to the light after having been incased in darkness for so long.
"Come on, Anna." A soft and soothing voice said, "Keep your eyes open, stay with me. Okay, baby? That's it." She blinked slowly and soon she began to recognize the face who was speaking to her. Those plush red lips, the button nose, the moles speckled across their face like constellations in space. And those eyes, how could she forget those beautiful mesmerizing honey brown eyes that she swore she could stare into for the rest of her life?
"S--Stiles?" She whispered, her hazel eyes meeting his brown ones.
"Anna! Oh, thank god." He said, his voice filled with relief and his honey brown eyes red around the rims. "You're okay, you're really okay."
"Hey, have you been crying?" She asked him, a frown tugging her lips down as she shakily lifted her hand to rest against his flushed cheek. Stiles then placed his hand over hers, a tear escaping his eye and sliding down his cheek. "Hey, no." She told him gently as she sat up from the crushed position she was in before she woke up, "I'm okay, I'm still here." She tenderly cups his face, wiping his tears away. "I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere."
A small sob escapes the boy's lips, "I--I thought I lost you. I woke up before you did and I kept calling your name but you wouldn't r-respond."
She shushed him with her lips, gently pressing them against his and giving him the reassurance that he really needed in that moment. She needed him to know that this was real, that their breaths were in perfect time, that her hands were gently brushing his skin, that his hand was really tangled in her hair, and her lips were tenderly caressing his own.
She needed him to know, that nothing could tear them apart.
Once their lips parted she gave him one last gentle peck, then her eyes met his. "You can't get rid of me that easily, Stilinski. You're gonna be stuck with me for a long time."
Stiles chuckles, albeit weakly. "Well, if I'm stuck with you can I atleast ask you to officially be my girlfriend first?"
Annabeth had never been anyone's girlfriend before, she never really thought she would get the chance to ever be one, actually. But just because she didn't think she would, doesn't mean she didn't want to be one. Because secretly, she wanted it more than anything. To feel wanted by someone who accepted her for who she was, dark hunter past and all. And Stiles Stilinski, he was the first person to ever make her feel like that, and she didn't want to lose that feeling.
Not now, not ever.
"I never thought I would find someone that could meet my standards, but you Stiles Stilinski, you surpass every single one of them." She gazes at the boy who's managed to both capture her heart, and become the object of her every desire. "You are truly the most unreal person I have ever met."
A soft smile makes it's way across the boy's lips, a splash of red covering his pale cheeks. "So, is that a yes?"
Annabeth giggled, like a fucking school girl, actually. Then she nodded quickly, slotting her lips against his parted ones. "Yes, of course I'll be your girlfriend, Stiles. I would love nothing more, really. And though I would love to stay here in the jeep and make out with you right now, we're kind of on a mission to save our parents right now."
"Right." He nodded jerkily, "Shit, okay well my jeep is out of commission, so looks like we're walking."
Annabeth scoffed as she opened the passenger side door, "More like running." She hops out of the vehicle and slams her door closed, "Get a move on, Stilinski. We got a sacrifice to stop!" She shouted as she bolted through the woods.
"All right, here I come!" Stiles grunted as he raced after her, joining alongside her and grabbing ahold of her hand as they ran through The Preserve together.
After running for awhile they made it to the Nemeton, the winds were horrible and she had to pull her hair into a bun to get the strands to stop blocking her face. She heard the sounds of screaming and struggling, and she noticed the ground around them was crumbling fast.
"There should be a cellar!"
"Over there!" Stiles pointed to the wood that was sinking into the earth, almost like quicksand.
"Hurry!" She exclaimed as she slammed the doors open and rushed down the hole, her feet hit the dirt and she crouched down placing her hand on the ground to steady herself, then as she looked up she saw her dad, her sister, Scott's mom, Stiles' dad, and also Isaac. The poor teen wolf was the only one really keeping the entire cellar from crushing everyone underneath it. "Stiles, we have to do something!"
"Use your telekinesis!" He shouted back, she noticed his eyes were glowing the fluorescent purple she had seen before back at the hospital, and above them the wood paneling that was once falling was now lifting, but only slightly. "I can't do this without you!"
"But I'm new at this! I could barely move a soda can!"
"Annabeth, you've got this!" Stiles told her, his eyes glowing brighter as they aligned with hers. "I believe in you, now you need to believe in yourself."
And so, the hazel eyed girl glanced over at her dad, and then her sister. She saw the paralyzing fear and panic in both of their eyes, and she suddenly knew what she needed to do. She took a deep and steady breath in, and she placed her hands hands up and placed them on the wood just above their heads.
She used all of the focus and sheer will that she could muster, and like magic everything that was falling down was now floating upwards. Keeping her focus, she and Stiles locked eyes, purple and red meeting eachother as their powers combined into one huge telekinetic force.
And when she looked up, she saw that she no longer saw dirt and wood falling into the ground, but she saw the lunar eclipse and the stars lighting up the night sky. "What do we do with the dirt and wood?"
"Throw it, just fling your arms and get rid of it." Stiles replied to her.
She nodded, "On it." Just like he said she flung her arms in one direction, and all the dirt above flew from her hold, her eyes fading back to their hazel brown as she dropped her arms, a sigh heaving from her lips. "Is it normal to feel so fucking exhausted?"
Stiles leaned back against the dirt wall, a huge sigh released from his lungs. "Yep, it's like a battery. We used up alot of our juice." He glanced over at the others who seemed to be more relaxed now, "You guys okay?"
"Yeah, just kind of wondering what the hell that was." Noah replied, answering for everyone who was no longer being nearly crushed to death. "But honestly, I don't wanna know, I just wanna hug you, kid."
Annabeth grinned at her boyfriend, "Get over there, go." She said, pushing him towards his dad. She smiled fondly at the father and son combo as they captured eachother in a much needed embrace.
Then she looked over at her dad and she felt tears welling up in her eyes, she immediately crawled over and threw her arms around him, sobbing softly into his shoulder as he held the back of her head and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"I missed you too, sweetheart." Chris says soothingly, his voice filled with unbridled emotion. "I missed you too."
Suddenly the storm that was going on just stops, there's no more winds, just a quiet night above them where they resided in the hole in the ground. Since the steps were destroyed they would have to wait for someone to get them out, but atleast they weren't being buried alive anymore.
"Is it over?" Allison asked, curled on the other side of her father who had his arms around both of his daughter's shoulders, plus Isaac sitting beside Allison.
Annabeth sighed, a small smile covering her lips. "Yeah, Alli. I think it is."
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The day after the whole debacle with Jennifer the Darach and the Alpha pack, she was happy to have been reported back by everyone she cared for that they were all alive. But she was really excited about Scott's news, because just like Deaton said, he was now a True Alpha. And Stiles was his emissary, and surprisingly he made Annabeth his second in command. The Trifecta had just been upgraded to the highest of levels, and it felt pretty damn good.
After using her powers the way she did at the Nemeton the other night, she had found herself practicing alot. She saw how truly powerful she could be when she put her mind to it, and she wanted to put these new skills to the test. Because how fucking badass is a telekinetic who is also a fucking hunter?
That is supreme badassery.
And speaking of, she was currently in her room with her fingers curled, one of her favorite blades floating in midair as her eyes glowed a bright ruby red. Her focus was locked on moving the blade with her sheer will, and the second she was going to throw it to her target like a game of darts, her door opened. Her concentration broke, and the knife clattered to the wooden floor within in instant.
"Damn it, I almost had it." She muttered to herself, then she glanced over at her door and saw her sister standing in the threshold, a look of thought crossing her features. "Hey, Alli." She threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood before picking up the blade, "What's up?"
Once Allison walked inside, the twins sat on the bed and the youngest began to spill her guts. Letting Annabeth know what was on her mind. And after having a deep discussion together, the two sisters were headed to their dad's office. They both walked down the hallway, their hands clasped as they made their way to the room. As they approached she saw her father with his back turned, wiping one of his guns down and going to place the firearm into his case.
Two twins shared a knowing look, then Allison nodded agreeing to take the lead. "Back to storage?" She asked their father who cocked the empty gun and spared his daughters a quick glance over his shoulder.
"That's the plan." He replied to her.
"Well, what if we have a different plan, dad?" Chris paused what he was doing, but he didn't reply which was a sign for them to keep talking.
"Deaton said that what we did in order to find you-- He said that it might draw things here." Allison said, the both of them walking into the room together, side by side. "Make Beacon Hills kind of a beacon again."
Her father hesitated, then he got back to packing and closed the case infront of him. "I hope not." He said, turning to look back at she and Allison.
"We were thinking that maybe we should be prepared." She glanced at her sister who nods at her to keep going. "Maybe you can teach us how to be better fighters, I know there are still things that you can teach us."
"And maybe a few things more." Chris replied, getting on board with what they were telling him.
"And we can do this, but on one condition."
"We're going to have a new code." Allison said, their father raised his brows as an impressed expression washed over him, awaiting the idea that his daughters had come up with. "Nous protegeons ceux qui ne peuvent eux-meme."
"We protect those who cannot protect themselves." Annabeth translated, her voice confident and sure.
"So this means, you'll be an Argent hunter again?" Her father asked her, a small smile playing on his lips and a proud look in his eyes.
Annabeth nodded, her smile reflecting her dad's.
"As long as we live by this code, I'll always be an Argent hunter."
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YOOOOO, SEASON 3A IS FINISHED GUYS!!!
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS FINAL CHAPTER IN THE COMMENTS, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS!
Anyway, thank you guys so much for continuing Annabeth's journey with me, I truly love her character so much and I have SOOO much planned for her.
You guys are not gonna see any of this shit coming, and not just 3B but Season 4 and 5 as well.
I've planned ahead again, hehe.
Also,, Telekinetic Stiles and Annabeth? Fucking legendary, am I right? I loved writing that scene between the both of them.
So yeah, that's all I have for right now. I really hope you guys enjoyed this final chapter of season 3A, I had a blast writing every single chapter, even today when I felt absolutely zero motivation to write, I still had fun!
But yeah, I just wanna thank you guys once more, I honestly couldn't do any of this without all of you reading and enjoying my writing so just... thank you. It means so much more to me than you or I myself will ever comprehend.
I love each and every one of you, and I will see you guys again soon!
Goodbye for now!
(Word Count: 4,861)
—Mic
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