Demons, Demigods and Hunters (Percy Jackson/Supernatural)

Chapter 4

Anna

The trio came to a stop next to Dean's car. She ran her hand along the trunk of the car. It really was a very nice car.

"Baby is a 1967 Chevy Impala, with a 502-cubic-inch big-block V8. She's 18 feet of badass." Dean lovingly patted the car. Anna stifled the urge to laugh. She leaned up against the car as the brothers continued their discussion over their missing father.

"Sam, dad's in real trouble right now. If he's not dead already. I can feel it," Dean faced a silent Sam.

"I can't do this alone."

"Yes you can," Sam replied. Both brothers tossed Anna pleading looks. She raised a single eyebrow before shaking her head. Anna had no intention of intervening. Their family problems were their own.

'Maybe I can recommend them to a family counselor. I bet I could get Hera to tell me who she and Zeus go to.' Anna smirked a little at her thoughts. Dean looked at the ground.

"Yeah, well, I don't want to." Sam sighed, seemingly resigned and when he looked back at his brother, he asked defeated.

"What was he hunting?" Anna knew what Sam was going to do the moment the question passed his lips. Dean moved to the trunk of the car. He opened the spare-tire compartment. Inside the well was a large assortment of weapons; guns, ammunition, stakes. There was even an axe and a large bag of salt. Anna peered closer. The car was lightly warded.

'At least they try to be careful.' Anna sighed to herself.

"All right, let's see; where the hell did I put that thing," Dean dug through the massive arsenal in the trunk of his car.

"So when Dad left, why didn't you go with him," Sam asked.

"I was working my own gig. This, uh, voodoo thing, down in New Orleans."

"Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?" Dean looked over at his brother.

"I'm twenty-six, dude." Sam just rolled his eyes. Dean picked up a folder, removing pages to show Sam and Anna.

"All right, here we go. So Dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop just outside of Jericho, California. About a month ago, this guy,' Dean handed Sam the image 'they found his car, but he vanished completely, MIA." Sam handed Anna the article on the missing man. She didn't even bother to look at it, knowing in the dark she wouldn't be able to read the jumbled mess her dyslexia would make it into. She lightly drummed her fingers in a staccato pattern.

One, one two, one two three. One, one two, one two three. She drummed. And she listened.

"So maybe he was kidnapped." Sam guessed.

"Yeah. Well, here's another one in April," Dean dismissed his younger brother. 'Another one in December 'on-nine, 'oh-three, 'ninety-eight, 'ninety-two. Ten of them over the past twenty years." With each date Dean passed along another photograph, another article on a missing man. Anna neatly stacked them back in order before giving them back to Dean. She hadn't bothered to look past the pictures of the missing men.

"All men, all the same five-mile stretch of road." Dean said while digging a bag out from under the arsenal.

"It started happening more and more, so Dad went to go dig around. That was about three weeks ago. I hadn't heard from him since, which is bad enough." Dean took out a handheld tape, 'then I get this voicemail yesterday." Pressing play, a staticky voice crackled out the speaker.

"Dean... something big is starting to happen... I need to try and figure out what's going on. It may... be very careful, Dean. We're all in danger." A gravelly voice warned as the recording clicked off.

"You know there's EVP on that," Sam said.

"Not bad Sammy, kinda like riding a bike, isn't it?" Sam shook his head at Dean, waiting for his brother to continue.

"All right. I slowed the message down, I ran it through a gold wave, took out the hiss, and this is what I got." He pressed play again.

"I can never go home..." a distinctly female voice wavered through. Anna could barely repress the urge to throw up. Nico may as well be her kid brother but Anna hated ghosts. Not after the Battle of the Labyrinth anyway. Too many of her friends had died because of Minos. Anna herself spent far to much time in those cursed tunnels surrounded by them. Then the gods damned arena. Anna repressed her memories, shoving them deep into a lockbox and throwing away the key.

"Never go home," Sam repeated. Anna reached for Sam's shoulder, a cheap comfort when discussing creatures that go bump in the night. Dean puts everything away, leaning back against the trunk.

"You know, in almost two years I've never bothered you, never asked you for a thing." Sam sighed and looked away. Anna rubbed his shoulder lightly, reminding him she would back him up.

"All right. I'll go. I'll help you find him," Dean nodded. Anna squeezed his arm gently.

"Your interview." She murmured. Sam nodded.

"But I have to be back here, first thing Monday. Wait here." Sam turned back towards the building.

"What's first thing Monday?" Dean asked

"I have this... I have an interview,"

"What, a job interview? Skip it." Dean scoffed at his brother. Anna frowned disapprovingly.

"It's a law school interview and it's his whole future on a plate." Anna said quietly, her voice dangerously calm.

"Law school?" Dean smirked. His brother was turning out to be so very square.

"So we got a deal or not." Sam practically snarled. Dean said nothing and Sam went back into the apartment building. Anna finally pushed off the car when the silence got uncomfortable. Dean looked at her curiously.

"Semi retired." Was the only thing she said when she walked away.