VENUS 🪐 STILES STILINSKI {1}

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

     "What is all this?" Chris Argent points out the boys chess board, causing everyone else to crowd around it. "What are all these sticky notes?"

Venus had sent out a text to Derek and the Argents, telling them to meet them at the Sheriffs house since they knew Stiles was there. Unfortunately, the boy was already gone upon their arrival, leaving them to search through the room for why he was here.

"This is what Stiles used to try and explain to me about all of you." Stilinksi replies as Venus takes a closer look at all of the names and the positions.

"Maybe it's the real Stiles trying to send us a message." Allison starts to think out loud, her father picking up a fallen pawn.

Derek stands straighter, crossing his arms over his chest. "You think there's any reason my name's on the king?"

"Because you're heavily guarded." Venus murmurs, looking around at the other pieces with all of their names around him.

The sheriffs eyes follow where she was looking. "The alarming detail is that you're one move from being in checkmate."

"It's a threat from the nogitsune." Chris reveals, looking at everyone around him.

Allison stands up in realisation. "He's at the loft."

"And he wants us to come there."

"Well, night's falling" Derek deadpans, urging them to think of something to do.

"This couldn't sound any more like a trap."

"I don't think it is."

"I think your opinion might be slightly biased, Sheriff."

"Just, hear me out." Stilinksi holds his hand out. "What we're dealing with here is someone who lacks motive. No rhyme, no reason, right?"

"Meaning what?"

"Our enemy is not a killer. It's a trickster. The killing is just a by-product."

"If you're trying to say it won't kill us, I'm not feeling too confident about that."

"It won't. It wants irony. It wants to play a trick, a joke. All we need to do is come up with a new punch line."

Getting back in the cruiser, they make their way towards Dereks loft, the Sheriff gauging the Nymphs opinion.

"I don't think it's Stiles we're dealing with anymore." she admits, letting out a sigh. "He's still in there, I can feel it sometimes but it's almost like he's trapped."

"He's not in control." the man nods along. "What do you mean you can feel it?"

"It's just something I can do, feel peoples presence in the world. Like that night in the root cellar, I felt when Jennifer died."

It remained silent again between them until they pull up outside Dereks building, regrouping with everyone else.

"Just, don't trust it, okay?" Venus warns the man, before he leaves them going in to meet his son.

"Are we still on the non-lethal plan?" Derek questions the remaining three as they make their way up the flight of stairs shortly after the Sheriff.

"It's still Stiles, Derek. We're here to save him not kill him." Venus reminds the man, before they reach the loft door, making their way in. Void scoffs when he sees them, obviously having expected something like this to happen. Allison pulls out her taser, aiming it at the boy but he deflects by grabbing the wire and pulling it out of her hands, shocking the girl.

The two of them watch as Derek tries to attack him, growing unsuccessful as well, being thrown back roughly against one of the pillars. Their eyes turn in alarm at the sound of a gun cocking, seeing Argent holding a gun to the boys face.

"Argent, listen to me." Stilinski puts his hand out, trying to settle the man. "Don't do this."

"Why not?" the man retorts, not moving his eyes away from Stiles. "Werewolves. Berserkers. I can easily add a nogitsune to the list."

     The situation only grows more out of hand as Stilinski pulls out his own gun pointing it at the hunter. The two men start yelling at one another, Void pitching in and tempting Argent to shoot him while Allison tries to calm down her father. Venus begins to feel a sharp pain coming through her stomach, feeling the same dark energy she felt when the Oni attacked them at the party. Only this time it was stronger, and coming from Stiles.

"Stop! Stop it!" Venus screams out to the four yelling people in front of her. "This is exactly what he wants, it only makes him stronger."

"Not exactly, Nymphie." Void acknowledged, catching everyones attention. "I was kind of hoping Scott would be here. But I'm glad you all have your guns out, because you're not here to kill me. You're here to protect me."

     The Oni start coming through Dereks large windows, the sun having set a few minutes ago. Venus leans down, pulling her daggers out of her boots as Allison pulls her Chinese ring daggers from her coat pocket. The two men with guns instantly start shooting as the Oni surround the six people in the room, all of them springing into action. Allison and Venus were moving side by side, keeping the Oni at bay while Derek ran forward attacking them.

     Venus spots one of them moving up on Derek from behind, the werewolf not noticing it. The girl threw one of her daggers at it, lodging it into its chest, it turns to look at her before they all start to disappear. The group turn to check over one another, Venus immediately noticing the missing person. Derek was on the ground, his shoulder injured from of the Onis blades, Chris was on the ground next to him checking if he was okay.

They all turn back to fight mode as they hear someone approaching the loft door, Stilinski and Argent both raising their guns in defense. The men put their guns down in relief as they noticed it was only Scott and Kira.

"What happened?" the boy asks, looking over everyone.

"They disappeared." Allison responds, slightly panting. "Literally just vanished."

"And so did Stiles."