⇀⇀⇀⇀⇀

After the pair cleaned up the beach house, they returned back home. Currently, the two were sitting on a picnic blanket in the fancy Mikaelson backyard. They were taking turns throwing a rope toy for Rudy to run after and fetch.

The puppy's tail wagged as he brought the toy back to Percy. She held out her hand and he dropped it, excitedly waiting for her to throw it.

"Nik, I have a very important question." The raven haired beauty spoke. Usually when she said that, the question was not very important. And this situation, of course, was no different.

Klaus looked over at her. "Yes, love?"

"How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" As she asked the question, she threw the rope toy for Rudy to go fetch.

He sighed dramatically, but the corners of his lips tugged upwards. "I don't know, love. 100?"

"Nope!" Percy shook her head. "Siri said the answer is 42."

His eyebrows rose in amusement. "42 what? What's the unit of measurement?"

"She didn't say. Just 42."

"But that could be 42 of anything." He pointed out.

She nodded. "Exactly. That's what makes it fun."

He shook his head, but his smile had widened.

"Besides, your guess was 100. That doesn't have a unit of measurement either."

He chuckled, "Yeah, alright, love."

Rudy ran back to the hybrid, giving him the rope toy for him to throw. Klaus chucked the toy for the dog to run after again.

The puppy happily chased after it.

The hybrid glanced back at the demigod. "Do we still have to go to the graduation tomorrow?"

She laughed. "Yes. Well, at least I'm still going."

He groaned as he fell backwards onto the picnic blanket. "To be clear, love, I'm only going because you're going."

A grin appeared on her features, "Of course. I wouldn't expect any different."

His head turned to look at her. When her eyes met his dark blue ones, she blew him a kiss.

He pretended to catch it and placed his hand on his lips. Klaus sent her a playful smirk. "Thank you for the kiss, love."

She laughed. "Yeah, you're welcome."

Rudy returned with the toy and delivered it to Percy. The demigod threw the rope toy in a different direction to make things more interesting for him.

The brown eyed doggo yipped excitedly when he got the rope toy. He proudly ran back to the hybrid and presented him with the toy.

Klaus accepted it and threw it out into the yard, allowing Rudy to run after it once more.

He's the cutest doggo. Percy thought to herself. Absolutely precious.

➳. ➳. ➳.

The trio sat on the hybrid's bed. Well, the demigod sat, while Klaus and Rudy were laying on the bed.

The film, Shrek, was playing on the TV.

"So, the dragon falls in love with Donkey. How is that gonna work? I mean, size wise, that's just-"

Percy tried not to laugh at his words. "Just let them be in love."

He smiled and shook his head. His head turned to her as he remembered another part of the film. "And who is the Muffin Man?"

"The Muffin Man?" Percy raised an eyebrow in amusement as she remembered the scene where the Gingerbread Man was being interrogated.

"Yes, the Muffin man."

"Who lives on Drury lane?" The demigod cackled as they were having the same conversation virbatim from the movie.

"I've never heard of him," the original admitted.

She shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know, Nikkie. Maybe he's a man made of muffins. He's not really that important to the story though, so it's okay."

"Hm. And when is Shrek going to find out that Princess Fiona is also an ogre?" He questioned as his eyes were trained on the television.

The demigod couldn't help but laugh. That was a statement that many didn't think would ever leave the lips of the great Klaus Mikaelson.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to watch it to find out."

He continued watching the movie. Muttering, he commented, "She better not actually marry Lord Farquad."

Percy couldn't help but laugh. Oh my gods. I need to introduce him to more movies.

Rudy seemed to notice his distress.

The puppy got up from his spot on the bed, and moved so that he was cuddled up beside the hybrid.

Klaus gently pet the puppy as he continued watching the movie.

Cuties.

⇠⇠⇠⇠

After they finished watching the movie, the trio ate dinner. Rudy has his dog food, and Percy had her blue food. And Klaus had whatever it was that Klaus had.

Once they had finished, they went back upstairs.

Klaus opened up the door to his room. Rudy immediately ran in and jumped onto the bed, curling into a ball.

The hybrid was about to follow and step forward, but the sea green eyed girl reached out and gently tugged his other hand. The action caused him to turn his head back to face her. He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I'm gonna sleep at my house," she informed him.

Klaus tilted his head slightly, his eyes quickly shooting back and forth between each of her eyes. "We can go with you," he offered. He wanted to make sure she was okay after what happened the previous night.

The demigod shook her head. "No, it's okay."

The blue eyed original moved so that he was facing her completely. His hand gently held her arm. "Is this because of what happened last night?"

Percy bit her lip slightly. Klaus continued, "Because I don't mind sleeping murderous attempts, hurricanes, and earthquakes. Not when they're from you."

The raven haired beauty cringed a bit at the reminder and winced.

The hybrid shook his head and stepped closer to her. "I love you," Klaus spoke as his eyes stared deeply into hers. The reminder that he loved her made her feel considerably better.

Her big sea green eyes met his, "I love you too."

For a moment they just stood there, appreciating the other's presence.

Percy added, "I just-I feel like I need to clear my head. I'll sleep in my own bed tonight and I'll be back to normal tomorrow."

After a few seconds, Klaus responded, "Okay, love." He leaned forward and lightly kissed her forehead.

The raven haired beauty sent him a grin. "Do you want a goodbye kiss?"

"I always want a goodbye kiss," Klaus replied, the corners of his lips rising.

The demigod leaned forward and pressed a kiss against his lips. "Goodnight, Nik."

The original let his eyes roam over her face. "Goodnight, Percy."

She started to pull away, and he spoke again. "If you need anything, just-"

The demigod raised her eyebrows and smiled, "I'll call you. Okay?"

A devilish, yet cute, smirk appeared on his face at her ability to know what he would say before he said it.

✦———✦

Percy struggled to fall asleep. It seemed her body wouldn't let her rest. She changed her position countless times, but she still couldn't find sleep.

After getting tired of the constant twisting and turning, she sat up in her bed. Huffing slightly, she threw the blankets off her body, swung her legs off the side of the bed and stood up.

Wandering up to her window, the raven haired beauty looked out into the night sky, seeing the stars shining above the trees.

The demigod sighed. Deciding a walk might help clear her mind and get her tired, Percy turned away from the window, and grabbed a sweatshirt jacket. She quickly tied her hair into a bun and laced up a pair of sneakers.

She walked down the steps with her keys and phone, before leaving her house.

Percy wasn't sure how long she walked for. Her mind drifted to other places. Thoughts popped into her head, forming a jumbled mess that left her confused.

Occasionally thoughts of tartarus entered into her mind. Taking a deep breath, the demigod shook her head.

So much for clearing my head.

She continued walking and when she finally looked up to see where she had ended up, Percy found she was outside the Grill.

Despite the late time, it was still open.

Well, it is a bar. They're usually open late.

Percy went inside, and wandered up to the bar. There were only a few people within the grill.

One bartender stood behind the bar, and a few busboys cleaned off tables. Percy noticed Matt was not among them. There were also only a few customers residing at the restaurant.

"Can I have a refill?" A voice asked the bartender from beside her.

Percy glanced over to see a woman who seemed to be in her early twenties. She had dark brown hair that cascaded into loose curls.

The bartender refilled her glass, and the young woman tilted her head back to drink it.

The sea green eyed girl glanced at the bartender. "Can I get a Sprite please?"

He nodded and filled a glass with soda.

The brunette looked over at Percy and sent her a small smile. "So what brings you to this bar so late at night?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows, and making conversation.

Percy shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

The hazel eyed girl nodded and gestured to herself with a lazy smile. "Well, I am drinking my problems away. You are welcome to join me."

The demigod replied, "I don't drink."

The brunette seemed impressed by her words. She pointed at her, "I respect that."

Percy sent her a small smile at her words. "Thanks."

Holding out her hand across the bar, the brunette introduced herself. "I'm Hayley, by the way."

There was a seat separating them at the bar. Percy smiled in return, "I'm Percy."

— ❦ — ⇿⇿ — ❦ —

The pair continued talking for another thirty minutes. During which time, the demigod learned that Hayley was trying to track down her family. They had also moved so that they were next to each other at the bar.

Hayley took a sip of her drink and sent her a warm smile. "I've told you enough about me. Tell me about you. What's new in your life?"

Percy shrugged. "I dunno. Just normal stuff," she replied, not meeting the brunette's gaze.

"Hm. You're the mysterious type, aren't you?" Hayley commented, "Interesting." The werewolf ran her finger across the glass. "I get it though. I'm only talking this much because of these drinks."

The demigod laughed and took a sip from her soda.

"But, if you did want to talk, I'm a good listener. And I probably won't remember in the morning," Hayley sent her a playful grin. The werewolf was tipsy from the drinks.

Percy smiled and looked down at her glass. "I don't even know where I'd start." She shook her head. "I had an...interesting past, and, well, last night I had a nightmare and I sort of attacked my boyfriend in my sleep."

"Well, that was unexpected." Hayley commented. She turned her head to face Percy and sent her a comforting smile. "But that's not bad. You were asleep. Why feel guilty about something you did when you weren't even conscious?"

The raven haired beauty didn't seem convinced. "Yeah, but..." her words trailed off.

Hayley continued, "Did you hurt him?"

"Well, no," she responded.

"Then, you're fine! I've probably done worse," the brunette said in an attempt to make her feel better and sent her a smile. When she realized Percy still didn't look completely convinced, she asked another question, "Did he react badly?"

"No. No actually, he was really sweet, but I still feel bad about it."

Hayley turned in her bar stool so that her body was facing her completely. "Hey, look at me," she spoke gently. Her words were slightly slurred from the alcohol.

Percy faced her and made eye contact, as the werewolf continued in a soft, yet firm voice, "You didn't do anything wrong." She said it with such certainty that it was convincing. "Okay?"

The sea green eyed girl slowly nodded. "Okay."

Hayley sent her another small comforting smile. She turned her hazel eyes back to her drink, and her eyes suddenly lit up as an idea popped into her head. Glancing back at Percy, the brunette asked, "What do you think about splitting an order of fries?"

The demigod smiled, "Yes, we should definitely do that."

The werewolf grinned happily before waving over someone who worked there and placed the order.

Percy pulled out her phone and opened the hybrid's contact. She sent him a text, 'Hi.'

She bit her lip as she waited for a response.

"Ooo are you texting the boyfriend?" Hayley spoke in a teasing voice.

The demigod made a sound of amusement. "Yeah." She brought her gaze back to Hayley. "And you know what makes the situation even worse?"

"What?" The brunette questioned, ready to hear more of the story.

Percy continued, "All of that happened after the first night that we did...it."

"Oh damnnn." She drawed out the word. "Sheesh. That's rough."

The sea green eyed girl laughed. "Yeah."

Percy saw her phone light up as she got a message.

Nickelodeon 💗 : Hello, love. Is everything okay?

The corners of her lips rose slightly as she texted back. 'Yeah, I'm okay. I'm at the Grill.'

She set her phone back down when he didn't respond in under half a second. Too much work to wait.

Percy looked up to see that Hayley tilted her head back and downed the rest of her drink. After the brunette set it back down on the bar, she waved the bartender over to order some shots.

After a line of shots were placed in front of her, Hayley took one happily. "Do you think alcohol can actually help me avoid my problems?"

The demigod simply shrugged.

The werewolf shrugged as well and drank one of the shots. "I don't normally drink this much, but things have been crappy lately."

Hayley moved to stand up from her seat. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Can you watch my purse?"

Percy nodded and sent her a small smile.

The brunette smiled widely and pointed at the demigod, "And don't let some stranger steal my shots."

The daughter of the sea laughed. "Okay."

Hayley walked away towards the bathroom. Percy took a sip of her soda. Her eyes were drawn to the shots in front of her.

She didn't want to go home. Going home would mean sleeping, and the demigod was afraid that if she fell asleep, she would have another nightmare.

Percy bit her lip as her mind replayed Hayley's words. Do you think alcohol can actually help me avoid my problems?

The demigod had promised herself that she would never drink. She didn't want to ever be like Gabe.

But so many people in Mystic Falls were alcoholics.

What if it's not that bad? Her brain asked her.

Percy wasn't able to think clearly. She needed sleep, she needed rest. And occasionally, her mind would drift back to tartarus, and she would be back to an endless swirl of bad thoughts.

Before she could realize what she was doing, her hand picked up one of the glasses. Her eyes stared at the shot glass blankly.

Should I-

The raven haired beauty wasn't able to finish her thought, because a familiar British accent spoke from beside her. "How much did I miss?" His eyes drifted to the glass in her hand worriedly.

Percy jumped and immediately set the unsipped shot glass back down. Her heartbeat skyrocketed.

That was so fudging close, oh my -

Her breathing quickened, as she looked down at the glass. Anxiousness consumed her. "Oh gods, I almost-"

Klaus wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his warm embrace. "Shh. It's alright, love." He could hear how fast her heart was beating.

The original gently ran his fingers through her hair in a comforting way. "It's okay. You're okay."

A few seconds later, Percy pulled away. Her eyes stayed trained on the ground as she spoke quietly, "I'm sorry."

He shook his head and tilted her chin up. "Please don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong." His comforting blue eyes met hers. "Take a deep breath."

The demigod breathed in deeply, before letting it out. An adorable puppy barked from beside her. Percy turned to see Rudy was sitting on the ground looking up at her. A smile spread on her face as she gently reached out to pet him.

Rudy stood up and moved so that he was leaning against her. The daughter of the sea looked at the hybrid, who sent her a small smile. He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"Woah, woah, woah," Hayley spoke as she squeezed in between them and wrapped her arms around Percy protectively. "Who is this? Is this the boyfriend or some stranger I need to beat up?"

The demigod laughed. "This is the boyfriend."

"The sweet one?" Hayley questioned.

Percy smiled in amusement, "Yes. I only have one boyfriend."

"Hm," Hayley looked at him with calculated eyes. "I was so ready to beat someone up."

The raven haired beauty rolled her eyes playfully as she made a sound of amusement.

"I see you made a new friend," Klaus pointed out with the corners of his lips rising up.

The brunette pulled away from Percy to introduce herself. "I'm Hayley."

"Klaus," He replied.

Hayley raised an eyebrow. "Your last name wouldn't happen to be Mikaelson would it?"

He smirked at Percy, before bringing his gaze back to the werewolf. "Who's asking?"

The brunette brought her attention back to Percy and loudly whispered. "I don't think your sweet boyfriend is who you think he is."

She laughed, "I know who he is."

Hayley looked back and forth between them, "You sure?"

"Yeah," Percy smiled in amusement. "I know all about his murderous tendencies."

The werewolf nodded slightly, "As long as you know." She moved to sit back down in her seat.

The raven haired beauty grinned and intertwined her hand with the hybrid's. "So, how have you heard of him?"

"Who hasn't heard of me?" Klaus smirked arrogantly. "I'm the original hybrid, a being far stronger than any vampire, werewolf, or witch." His smugness radiated off of him.

"Wow your ego really is growing daily," Percy spoke with a teasing smile.

"It always is, love." He kissed the top of her forehead.

Hayley glanced over and responded to the previous question. "My friend Tyler told me about you."

"Ew. Tyler." Percy commented with a playful smile.

Klaus' expression turned serious. "Do you know where he is? Last I checked, he ran away from Mystic Falls."

"Nope. Don't know where Tyler is," she shook her head. "But even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you."

The hybrid sighed and brought his attention back to Percy, who looked up at him with a cute smile. "Do you wanna go?"

Klaus nodded and kissed her forehead once more. "Sure, love."

The demigod pulled away from him for a moment to take some money out of her wallet and placed it on the bar.

Percy turned to Hayley and pulled her in for a hug. "Good luck with finding your family."

The brunette hugged her back and smiled. "Thank you."

After finishing their goodbyes, and making sure that Hayley would be alright on her own, Klaus, Percy, and Rudy left the Grill. The hybrid intertwined their fingers once again.

✦✧✦

Instead of using vampire speed or vapor travel to get home, the trio simply walked. "So, what was that about, love? You were holding a shot glass when I first found you."