Welcome, welcome. Gaze upon my new story. I couldn't decide between House of the Wicked and Thirteen Devils, so I went with both. As I've said, I figured it would be nice to give my old readers something to entertain them with, while I get Children caught up. I've actually had this story in my head for a very long time now. But then I couldn't quite get it pieced together, so it sat in a folder on my computer for several months. And then I had inspiration! I could tell you the inspiration, but that would give away the plot. I'll share it when the story moves along. Until then, I'll share some songs that I think fit this story: Seven Devils by Florence and the Machine, Demons by Imagine Dragons, Black by Kari Kimmel, and House of the Rising Sun by Lauren O'Connell. That might have just given things away...

So, I said I had some news to share when I posted something new. And, well, it's time, I suppose. I no longer have a beta. Bragi and I have cut our ties to each other, or so it would seem. Not really going to talk about it, but we've gone our separate ways. So, yeah, just be aware that I'm editing my chapters myself, and I may miss errors. I also may not go in the best direction for a story at times. I suppose it's just something we'll have to wait and see with. I just felt it was something that needed to be share, mainly over the issue with possible increases in grammar errors. Perhaps it won't be a total disaster. I feel fine with Children, I have everything mapped out in my head for that story to utter perfection. But, with the new stories, I suppose it makes me a little anxious.

Warning: Language. Slight religious bashing, if you squint real hard. Slash.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 1

He had to move faster. That was all thirteen year old Percy Jackson had going through his mind as he kicked off the wall and swam back the way he had just come from. The water was calming to him, even if people were yelling, and other boys were furiously swimming beside him. The water just drowned it out. He felt calm.

He just wanted to impress his parents. They had taken time out to come watch his regionals' match, and he was never one to disappoint when it came to his parents. They were surely in the crowd, watching and cheering him on. He wanted to make them proud, even if they constantly reminded him that they would always be proud of him.

Even though it was his first year at his high school, he had quickly become one of the best on his team. His father had always had him around the beaches in California. He had even learned to surf at a young age. So, Percy had quickly become a natural in the water, and his father constantly reminded him of it. And his mother was not much different. She would always place her hand on Percy's cheek in that motherly way and tell him he was special.

The water practically parted for him as he swam towards the end of the pool. His arms were sore, as were his legs, but none of that mattered. He knew the end was near, and he knew what he wanted. All he had to do was reach out and grab it.

A horn was blown as he grabbed the edge of the pool. A huge grin broke out across his face as he removed the goggles from his eyes and looked around. He found his parents clapping for him, his mother raising the camera for a picture. He beamed at them as he raised his fist up victoriously.

He ended up being wrapped in a large towel and hugged by his parents. He got a trophy and lots of congratulations from his friends. Percy smiled brightly for all the pictures he was forced to take for the next hour, the trophy held tightly in his arms.

Percy was then swept away to dinner of his choice, with the promise of ice cream after. "Percy, you did swimmingly out there today," Poseidon said as the three family members at their dinner. The mother and son groaned at him.

"Was that supposed to be a bad pun, Dad?" Percy made a face before shoving another bite of pizza into his mouth. As delicious as it was, it would never beat the kind his mother made. It would, sadly, never be blue. The one time he had asked for them to make his blue, he had gotten stared at very oddly.

All Percy was met with was a warbling voice, whispering in the distance. A chill ran down his spine as he looked up. Suddenly, the place felt darker, the walls felt closer. And his parents were nowhere to be found. He stood there, alone, in darkness.

In the distance, there was a streetlight. At its base stood a man, cigarette lit in his mouth. Taking in a deep breath, the man's face was illuminated for Percy. The corner of the man's lips tilted up. He took a step to the side, revealing Percy's father. Poseidon fell to his knees, and Percy saw it.

A bullet hole was centered in Poseidon's skull. Percy's eyes widened in panic as he dashed away from the man under the streetlight. Fear overtook him. It pumped through his veins as his feet carried him as fast as they could. Blood began to flow down the streets, into the drains, like rain.

Car horns were blown, though Percy never came across any. There were screams and gunshots, but Percy kept running. He refused to stop, until he heard his name being yelled. "Percy!"

He knew that voice. "Mom!" He yelled into the darkness.

The reply came in the form of a gunshot. He froze as the bullet came towards him. But his mother was there, suddenly, standing in front of him. She grabbed him as tightly as she could, shielding him from the bullet.

The woman's nails sank into his back, the sound of the bullet sinking into his mother piercing his ears like an explosion. He stood there, shaking, as his mother's grip loosened on him. "Mom!" He began to cry, kneeling next to her dying form.

"Run, Percy," she whispered.

But, before he could react, a sharp pain filled his chest. He looked down to find his shirt soaked in blood. Percy slowly fell onto his side. He lay there, facing his mother's dead body. The sounds of guns going off still filled his ears, his blood pooling around him.

In no time at all, Sally's eyes shot open and she reached out and grabbed his neck. Her face had become decayed, and her teeth were rotten. Her nails felt like needles as they held him. "Percy!" She wailed and lunged at him.

A sixteen year old Percy Jackson shot up in his seat. His breathing was ragged as he ran a hand through his shaggy, black hair. He groaned, pulling his hand away. He was covered in sweat. Though, he had to wonder if that was just from the dream. He pulled his shirt back and checked his chest. No bullet wound.

No, that had vanished just under three years ago. Still, it had become a habit of his, ever since that night. He just needed to remind himself that the nightmares were just dreams. No, that was not the right word for them. Bad reminders of what he had miraculously lived through. He let out a sigh and fell back onto his seat. He lay there, staring up at the ceiling. Making a face, he cranked his car.

"How does anyone survive in this place?" He grumbled under his breath.

Percy was starting his senior year in high school. But was he spending it with all of his friends? No, of course not. His aunt, who had decided not to accompany him on this trip-which she had forced him to go on-had decided to remain back in San Francisco.

"You need to go find your father's family," she had said one day. The most frustrating part? She did not even know if they were still in this place. Nor could she even give him a name to look for. He loved the woman, but this felt cruel, especially with the humidity and mosquitos. He had been unaware that mosquitos could even come in the size of pterodactyls, at least until reaching this place.

Louisiana, the birthplace of both his parents, or so he had been told. And even worse, it was not even in New Orleans, the one place he had wanted to visit in the state. Emphasis on the just visit part. No, he was being sent to the middle of nowhere. The place barely showed up on his phone's GPS; that was, when it actually could find signal.

The only reason he had even managed to come as far as he had managed to get as far as he had was because the people of the south definitely lived up to their reputation of hospitality. Though, in some places, when he would ask where Aimes, Louisiana was, they would look at him weird.

"Oh, you mean Aimes, son," most of them would say. He had not counted on them pronouncing the word like the word 'aims'. He would just sigh and nod.

And then there was the amount of open space. Last night, he had driven an hour before reaching the next town. And, in that time, he had barely encountered any other vehicles. And it only seemed to get worse the closer he got to the town.

"Not many people go out that ways," would be the reply from some people. To say the least, it did not ease his nerves about the entire thing. And he was not even going to get started on the lack of hills and all the swamps.

Percy blew out a breath and raised his seat. He got out of his car with a groan. As much as he had wanted to just fly out here, he did need his car. With a stretch, Percy began walking towards the rest stop he was currently parked at's main building.

A few truckers stood around inside, laughing and drinking some of the free refreshments. He wiped at his eyes and stifled a yawn as he stepped up to the desk. A tall woman with bright blonde hair smiled brightly at him. "Something you need, sugar?"

"Um," Percy rubbed the back of his hair, "I was sort of wondering if you could give me some directions to Aimes."

The woman raised a brow at him. "Well, not every day that we have people wanting to go out there," the blonde woman replied. Her accent was everything that Percy had expected from someone from the south. She pulled out a small map and pointed down at it with her bright, pink nails. "You just wanna keep going straight on this road here, sweetie. It'll take you straight into town."

"Thanks," Percy mumbled.

She gave him the look over. "Would you like some coffee, or something? It's free. You look a little sick."

The boy shook his head. "I'll be fine." He found himself unconsciously scratching his chest. He frowned and dropped his hand. "Can I keep this?" He asked, picking up the map.

She smiled a sickeningly sweet smile. "'Course, sugar. I bet the girls are gonna have a time minding themselves with a handsome young man like you coming into town."

Percy gave a lopsided smile and stepped away from the desk. Placing the map into his back pocket, he headed for the exit. He peeled his collar back again, just to check. The skin was slightly pink now from where he had been scratching.

When he got back in the car, he yanked the map out and placed it on the passenger seat. His backseat was, as expected, packed to the brim. Even the floor of the passenger seat had stuff in it. He had a few more things, but his aunt was going to be shipping that to him.

Checking his mirrors, he pulled out of the parking spot he had taken last night, his left foot already beginning to tap on its own. Tomorrow, he would be starting school, in a completely new place. He already had his schedule, which looked boring. The school's list for curriculum had not been promising. And, while he was not the biggest fan of school, he had been frustrated that some things that he had been needing to take were not being offered at his new school. And that was not even touching on the lack of sports.

Percy was, or had been, the captain of both the swim team and water polo team back at his old school. And the two things that Percy had checked first, that the school did not even have? Swimming and water polo. He had collapsed on his bed and let out a groan so loud that his aunt had heard him downstairs. But they did have baseball, which Percy had signed up for, albeit with a glare to his computer screen.

The road was fairly straight, with no sharp turns at all. And he could see for miles. He felt open, exposed as he drove. There were no hills, no mountains, anywhere. Plenty of trees, just no elevated lands. Why did these people not at least build tall buildings? After getting past Texas, he had not seen a single skyscraper.

A little over an hour later, the peaceful scenery had lost its appeal on him. "Work, dammit!" Percy groaned, dropping his phone in his lap. He winced and stopped biting his lip. He could not even recall how long he had been doing it. How was he supposed to find his apartment, if he could not even access his GPS?

On the bright side, he had found the town. Well, the exit for the town. He had parked his car and had attempted to locate his destination, with little luck. He groaned and hit his head on the steering wheel. Screw it, he thought to himself.

Shifting his car back into drive, he took off towards the town. There were a lot of trees, and not many signs of there being a town around here. He did notice, though, that there was an increase in houses.

After a few minutes, he sighed in relief upon sighting a stop sign. Sure enough, the town was just beyond it. Not very tall buildings, he noted. As he came to a stop at the sign, he took note that none of them seemed to go higher than three stories. He missed home already.

A piece of paper sat in his lap, the name of the apartments and street address scribbled down on it. He glanced down at it and leaned forward in his seat, trying to get a look at each street that he passed. He quickly found the city hall, police station, and even his new high school easily. They were actually not that far apart.

The downtown area had more people walking about. The women wore a lot of weaved hats and long dresses. He was sure he would be able to hear their hills clacking if he had been outside. The one thing they definitely did not have a shortage of were churches. Percy seemed to find one of those, almost, on every street.

Not much seemed to be open on Sunday, aside from restaurants. In a few hours, he had no doubt that everyone would be heading to get a seat at church. The streets of the downtown area were lined with small shops: clothing, jewelry, a few diners, and even a photography studio.

Two men sat outside one of the diners, chewing tobacco. Percy made a face as each of them raised an empty bottle and spit the contents of their mouth into it. Disgusting, he thought.

Thirty minutes later, he still was unable to find any trace of where he needed to go. And his phone? Completely useless. The service kept shooting up and down like one of those fountains outside of Vegas hotels.

His salvation came when he went to drive by the school again. Four teenagers stood on the sidewalk by the road. One of the shorter ones, a boy by the looks of it,strangely enough in a black hoodie, gave a small wave to the other three. How he was not suffocating in this humid weather was beyond Percy. A tall blond boy smiled and pulled the boy in black into a hug.

A short girl with black hair smirked at the two boys and shot her hand out, into the boy's hood. A pale hand shot out and smacked it away before sliding them into his hoodie pockets and walking away. He did not seem to be in a big hurry as he crossed the football field and disappeared into the woods on the other side of the school. The blond boy and black haired girl were laughing at something, while a blonde girl stood to the side. She rolled her eyes at something the other two said.

Percy stopped his car beside them and rolled down his window. The black haired girl quieted down and nudged the tall blond, who had his back to Percy. When he turned around, Percy was met by a pair of chilling, icy blue eyes. The blond blinked at him and before glancing at the other two.

"Hey," Percy called out. "I don't suppose any of you could help me find an apartment complex?"

The short raven haired girl blinked and stared at the blonde girl beside her. Leaning in, she whispered something quickly before looking back at Percy. "Us?"

Percy cocked his head to the side, nodding. Why would they think otherwise? He gave them a quick glance over.

The blond boy probably stood around Percy's height, and had a similar lean build to his body. His hair was short and just barely covered his forehead. A mischievous grin sat on his lips, while his right hand rested in his pocket. He was clad in a red and white, striped shirt and white shorts. And the only thing that marred his features was a long, thin scar that ran just under his eye, down to his chin.

The blonde girl stood fairly tall, an inch or two shorter than Percy. She had the build of an athlete and the looks of a princess. Her hair was curled, but pulled back into a ponytail. A yankees cap rested on top of her head, hooding her unnerving grey eyes. Percy shifted in his seat as he stared into them. A silver charm bracelet rested on her wrist, though Percy was nowhere near close enough to get a good look at it.

Finally, there was the raven haired girl. She was the shortest of the group, even counting the boy that had left. She wore black combat boots and ripped shorts. Her grey shirt was torn as well, one of the sleeves hanging off her small shoulder. A dark blue streak that matched her eyes had been dyed in the front of her hair, hanging just beside her left eye. On both of her wrists were spiked bracelets, and a choker was wrapped around her neck.

"He's definitely new," the raven haired girl stated bluntly. She received a smack to the arm from the blonde girl.

The tall boy chuckled. Walking to the car, he placed his arm above Percy's window. He smiled and held his hand out for Percy. "Sorry, don't mind her. I'm Luke, by the way. And my two partners in crime here are Annabeth and Thalia." He turned back to Percy with a quick glance over. "You are new here, though, yeah?"

Percy blinked. Very little southern accent came from the blond's voice. He quickly reached out and shook the tan hand. "Percy. Yeah, I just moved here."

Luke arched a brow, leaning back to peer into the back seat. "I can see that. You're lost?" Percy nodded in response. Luke looked over his shoulder. Thalia and the other girl were whispering to each other. "Hey, you two," the girls shut up at Luke's remark and glared, "you wanna help the new guy out? Maybe we can get you a new friend, Thals."

The girl in the baseball hat tugged Thalia towards the car, just behind Luke. "So, where you from?"

"California."

Luke let out a low whistle. "Long ways from home." A crooked grin appeared on his lips. "Come on, let us be off before the saints discover us walking the streets and toss holy water on us."

The blonde girl rolled her eyes and held her hand out. "I'm Annabeth. Don't mind Luke, he's just obnoxious."

Luke scratched a spot just below his eye before shrugging. "So," he leaned down to rest his arms on the window, "you want us to tag along? We'd be happy to rob-I mean, help you settle in."

"Um," Percy started, eyeing all three of them.

Annabeth sighed. "Luke, don't scare him. I'm sure he'll get enough fear beat into him by tomorrow." Luke laughed at that. Percy failed to get the joke. "Better get used to it, Percy. You're gonna get a lot of that famous southern hospitality around here."

"I guess I could use the help," Percy mumbled with a glance to his backseat.

"Great!" Luke smacked the open window. "You girls wanna sit in my lap?"

"And work?" Thalia's nose crinkled up. "Gross. What fun would that be?" Annabeth's eyes widened as her arm was grabbed. "Come on, Annie, we'll go find something better to do?"

"Don't I get a say in this?" Annabeth asked as she was dragged away.

Luke just chuckled and shook his head. "Don't mind Thalia. All right, one second." He jogged around and got into the passenger seat. Picking up the piece of paper from the seat, he looked it over. "Nice. All right," he pointed forwards, "you're gonna want to take a left at the second stop sign up ahead."

They drove through another strip of the town. Luke seemed to quiet down from his cheerful self, at least when he was not making conversation. It was curious. The blond sank back into his seat when they passed people crossing the street.

Percy kept a fairly constant watch on the blond. Something about him gave off this very troublesome vibe. The robbing comment had also not helped. And just to willingly offer to help a stranger unpack? Was that thing common around here?

Luke looked over to find Percy watching him. "So, what brings you out here?"

Percy let out a sigh. "Court orders from my aunt, the judge." Luke cracked a smile, though it was nowhere near as full as the ones from a moment ago. "I don't know. She wants me to find some long lost relatives, but she didn't come with me."

Luke gave him an odd stare. "Wow. I hope you like motherly figures."

"Why?"

The blond snorted. But even with his amusement, the blond seemed bothered by something. His eyes had become dull and bored. "Because I'm betting you have at least five show up at your door every night." Percy just blinked at him. He was joking, right? "A new kid alone in a southern town, and you expect people not to swoop in on you?" Without even looking away, Luke pointed to an upcoming road. "Take a right."

The town seemed to lessen on this road. There were more trees, less stores, and more houses. "So, what grade are you in?"

"I'll be a senior this year."

Percy perked up. "Oh yeah? That's what I'll be." It was sort of a relief, even if he just met Luke, that he already met someone from his grade.

Luke lightly nodded his head, though his eyes seemed to be off in a world of their own. "That's cool. How old are you?"

"Sixteen." Percy glanced at the blond from the corner of his eye. He was already prepared for the reaction he was going to get.

The blond's eyebrows shot up. "You smart, or something? Damn."

Percy smiled at that. The boy's accent seemed to poke through more when he cursed. "No, not really. Well, I'm average." He shrugged and turned his attention back to the road. "No, I'm an August baby, and my parents decided to put me in school early."

Luke nodded. "I see." It was quiet for a moment, the blond relaxing into his chair. His right hand was grasping the seatbelt. "It'll be up here on the right." The blond's brow furrowed. "Where are your parents?" Percy blinked over at him. "You said your aunt sent you here, so where are your parents?"

"Oh." Percy licked his lips and frowned. "They're, uh, not alive."

"Oh." Luke chewed on his lip. "Sorry, dude," he whispered.

The raven haired boy shook his head. "Not your fault."

As Luke said, the complex sat on the right side of the road. Percy slowed down and turned into the drive. Leaning forward, he watched each of the numbers on the door until he found the one he needed. With a sigh, he parked the car and turned it off.

"Well," Luke clapped him on the shoulder, "home sweet home, I guess."

The apartment was not actually bad, but Percy still caught the meaning of Luke's words. The blond could tell he was not thrilled to be here. But who could really blame him? If he did have family, why had they not come looking for him? Why had he never met them? If this was all so important, Percy felt he should have at least heard of these people before. But his aunt did not even know their names.

By the time Percy got out of the car, Luke already had a box in his hand. He smiled over at Percy. "Where to?"

Percy pointed to the second floor as he opened the door on his side. "13A."

Upon retrieving the first box he could grab from the backseat, Percy looked up at his new home. Some of the bushes in front of his car were beginning to wither. He had a balcony, of sorts, due to living on the second floor. Though, he would have to share it with three other tenants. He had one window in the front, right next to the door.

"You got your key yet?" Luke called down.

"Shit," Percy cursed under his breath. "One second, let me run to the office."

Luke placed his box on the ground and leaned on the railing with a smirk. He pointed down the way they had entered. "First building at the entrance."

The raven haired boy sat down his box and took off jogging down the cracked sidewalk. Blades of grass jutted up from some of the cracks. No one seemed to be leaving their apartments yet, either due to still being asleep or already having left for church.

Percy found the office where Luke had indicated. Pulling the glass door open, he stepped inside. An elderly woman sat in a chair behind the counter. Percy found himself unsurprised when he spotted a pastor on the TV she sat watching. "Um, excuse me."

The woman looked over at him, a slight shake to her. "Can I help you, young man?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm Percy Jackson, I'm supposed to move into apartment 13A today."

The woman slowly stood up and wobbled over to the desk. Fingering through some papers, she pulled one out. "Here you are, sweetie." The white paper was slid across the desk. "Just sign at the bottom and I can give you your key."

Percy smiled and grabbed pen. He scribbled his name across the line at the bottom before sliding it back across.

"And you're moving in by yourself?" She asked, her voice raising in pitch at the end of the last word." Percy nodded with a small smile. "Oh dear. Well, don't worry, I'll get some of the ladies at church to cook you up some food."

Percy paused. She could not really be serious. "That's...very nice of you, but I'll be fine," he finally replied, flashing a bright smile.

She shook her head, the chained glasses threatening to fall from her face. "I'll have none of that." She held out a silver key. "Now then, here's the key to your new place." She clasped Percy's hand when he went to get it. "And don't hesitate to ask for anything if you need it, y'hear?"

"Yes, ma'am." Percy gave her another smile before leaving the building. He paused there, key in hand. These people were joking about all the hospitality, right? He blinked. Right? He smiled and shook his head. Surely it would not be that bad.

When he got back to his apartment building, he found Luke still leaning on the railing. The blond's eyes were distant, unfocused, as they fingered a necklace that Percy had failed to notice him wearing before. Percy squinted and tried to get a better look at it, but Luke spotted him and slipped it back under his shirt. He flashed a smile down at Percy.

"Get the key?"

Percy held up the key. He quickly grabbed the box he had placed on the ground and bounded up the stairs. He worked to balance the box and attempted to get the key into the door. "So, is there anything fun to do around here?"

Luke used his foot to open the door for Percy. "Depends on who you ask. You, um..." He trailed off, lightly chewing on his lip. "Never mind. Just, um, don't be a stranger."

Percy was not sure what happened while he had been away, but Luke seemed depressed now. Or nervous. He stared into Luke's eyes for a long minute, until the blond smiled and slid into the apartment.

The apartment was far from impressive, but it would do. It was not run down like Percy had been dreading, but it just did not feel like home. The kitchen and living room were conjoined. A sliding door was in the kitchen, partially open to reveal a washer and dryer. Farther back were two doors opposite each other. Sitting his box down, Percy walked towards them.

He reached into the one on the right to reveal his new bathroom. It was rather small, barely fitting in a sink, toilet, and shower. Blowing out a breath, he shut off the light and moved to the other door. Flipping on this light, he found his bedroom. Like the bathroom, it was small. But it would do, he supposed.

"So what are you gonna be sleeping on?" Luke leaned on the door. "I didn't see a bed in your car."

"Air mattress." Percy flipped the light off. "I'll have to find a new mattress and some furniture to go in the place."

"Sucks." The blond shrugged with a smirk. "Just think of it as camping indoors." Percy rolled his eyes. "I'd offer you a place to crash at my house, but my dad's not always fond of having company over."

"It's fine." Percy scratched at his chest, his brows furrowed. "You know any place to eat? I'm probably going to be hungry after this."

Luke chuckled and squeezed his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll find you something. I'll call Annabeth and Thalia, drag the two of them back over." He seemed to think about something, tapping a finger to his lip. "My brothers are busy today." Luke chuckled again with a shrug. "Probably up to no good, knowing them." Scrunching his lips, he picked up the box he had taken from Percy's car and placed it against a wall in the living room. "Not sure what the others are doing today," he mumbled.

"Others?" Percy watched Luke as he picked his own box up.

The blond chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Long story. But I'm sure you'll get to hear more about that at school tomorrow." Percy noted that the blond had reached up to squeeze his necklace when he had said that.

The two stepped back outside the apartment and slowly walked down the stairs. Percy noted how quiet everything still was. He let out a sigh. Nothing like home, he thought. "So, you have brothers?"

Luke gave a nod, though he did not spare Percy a look. "Three brothers. Lucky me, I'm the oldest and have to keep all of them in line."

"What about your parents?"

Luke stopped at the bottom steps. Percy stopped as well to turn around and look at him. The blond had slipped his hands into his back pockets and was now staring through a small clearing, where a church could be seen. "My mom's not around anymore either."

"Oh." Percy bit down on his lip as he opened his car. "I'm sorry. I guess we're sort of in the same boat."

Those icy blue eyes of Luke's seemed to chill Percy's blood as they focused back on the raven haired boy. "Yeah," he whispered.

The rest of the boxes were unloaded in near constant silence. Luke merely chose to speak whenever he needed to know where something went. He could understand where Luke was coming from, though. He did not like to have to talk about his parents' death either. Years could pass, and it did not make it much easier to discuss.

It was not until they had gotten all the boxes inside that Luke took notice of Percy watching him. He quirked a brow and a small smile touched at his lips. "Don't worry about me, just needed a minute."

Percy cut open a random box and opened it up. He smiled down at his trophies and medals. He scrunched his lips and looked around his room. He would need some shelves to put them on. He looked up when he noticed Luke just standing there, holding something from another box.

"What?"

Luke turned around, a pair of chopsticks in one hand, a rice cooker in the other. "You like Asian cooking? Can you cook?"

Percy shrugged and Luke looked down at the medals in his hands. "Yeah, sort of. I'm not the best cook, but I can feed myself. And I do better with oriental cooking."

"Oh." The blond blinked down at the pair of chopsticks. Percy snorted as he watched the blond try to work them.

"Do you even know how to use those?"

Blond hair shook loosely as the blond responded that he did not. "Can't really say that I do. As you can imagine, we don't have any Chinese or Japanese restaurants around here."

Percy felt his stomach clench. "Please tell me you at least sell rice or something at stores."

"Well, yeah, I guess. I don't really go looking for the stuff. The twins' mom does all the grocery shopping at the house." Luke scratched at his head and sat the items in his hands on the kitchen counter. "So who taught you to cook and eat with this stuff?"

Percy shrugged, pulling out a fairly large first place trophy. "My aunt."

Percy's eyes darted over to note the perplexed look on the blond face. "Oh." Blond eyebrows began to furrow, and Percy could practically see the wheels turning in Luke's head. He was sure there were going to be more questions soon to follow.

But they never came as Luke opened up another box and pulled out a picture. He cocked his head to the side and turned it around, revealing a brunet boy with light brown, curly hair. His pale face was lightly freckled, and a small birthmark sat right between his eyes. He was rather thin, though the photo truly failed to capture that aspect.

Luke's blue eyes darted up to stare at Percy before returning to the picture. Percy sighed, his shoulders slumping. The brunet had been another reason he had not wanted to move. "That's my ex from back home," Percy said softly.

Luke's eyebrows rose as he gaped at Percy. It did little to make Percy feel better at the moment, to say the least. "Oh, so you're into dudes?"

Percy let out a sigh. "Yeah. You got a problem with it?"

Luke chuckled nervously and held up his hands defensively. "No, man. I'm cool with it. Just...surprised a little." He gestured to the box of trophies and then to Percy. "Just with you looking like...well, you, I didn't really think...never mind."

Percy just shrugged and reached into the box at his feet. When he glanced up, he found Luke with a hint of pink of his cheeks. It looked like the blond was actually trying to keep his mouth shut. He was a bit odd perhaps, Percy thought.

For several minutes, Luke kept himself busy with unloading boxes and made little eye contact with Percy. The blond practically ignored him, though it seemed to be for reasons other than a distaste for the other boy in the room. The raven haired boy frowned and stood back up, poster now in hand. He held it out and looked around the room.

Luke sat some unpacked plates aside. "Is that Michael Phelps?" Percy gave a nod. "You must really like swimming."

"Was the team captain for both our swim and water polo teams last year. Would have been this year, if I didn't have to move." Percy blew out a breath, sending his bangs flying up. He stepped down the hall and placed the poster into his room. "But, looks like life has other plans for me."

"Well," Luke chuckled, "seems you're out of luck here." Crouching down, the blond opened up another box. "There really aren't any pools around here." He looked up with a frown, pointing a knife at Percy. "And I'd recommend not going to the Beauregards' place."

Percy just blinked at him, mouth slightly ajar. "You're kidding, right? Beauregard? Sounds like something out of the Civil War."

Luke shrugged, pulling some clothes out of the box in front of him. "Well, the family did fight in the Civil War." The blond mumbled something else, but Percy failed to catch it.

"You don't call it the 'War of Northern Aggression' down here?" Percy mumbled.

Luke just chuckled. "Well, some people might, but not me. Some of us southern country folk are educated down here," Luke replied, thickening his accent on the last sentence to tease Percy. "But, yeah, don't go there."

The Californian tilted his head to the side. "Why not? They aren't friends with you, or something?"

Luke smirked. "Oh, Silena and I are great friends. I'd be more concerned with the rest of her family." His blue eyes glanced over Percy's body. "Mainly I'd be concerned for your wellbeing."

Percy frowned as Luke went back to unpacking his box. He glanced down at himself. Was there something wrong with the way he looked? A pool was a pool, as far as he was concerned. He needed to swim, or he might lose his mind.

"Huh." Percy frowned and looked over at Luke. The blond poked through several surrounding boxes. "You don't have, like, a bible, or something?"

Percy shook his head. "No. I didn't know it was a requirement for this place." He made a face. "I'm not going to be forced to go to church, am I?"

"That completely depends on you." Luke's blue eyes met Percy's sea-green ones. "I'm sure people will notice if you don't go. And I'm sure all the pretty Southern belles around here will be happy to invite you to their house of worship."

Percy sighed, sitting his laptop bag off to the side. "Do they wear the hoop skirts?"

Luke laughed. "No. Do you believe everything you see about the south in movies and television?"

Percy scratched at his cheek, which were now a light pink. Now he felt like the uneducated one. Well, it was just Luke that he had really met so far. His expectations for the remainder of the town were still not very high. He just had no intention of being dragged to some church.

"You're interesting," Luke suddenly said. Percy blinked and looked down at him. "You don't have a bible, you seem to have a brain, and you're into guys."

Percy rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Is the fact that I like guys that big of a deal?"

Luke shook his head with a grin. "No, just find it interesting, that's all. And you are in good shape. Always a plus, I suppose." Percy frowned when Luke mumbled the last part. Luke grinned up at him. "So, you want me to help set everything up?"

Percy blew out a breath and glanced around. "No, I think I'll do that later. I'll deal with it when the rest comes in." His lips scrunched up. "I'll have to do some shopping. I need food, and I'll need things like shelves."

As if on cue, Luke's stomach growled. The blond chuckled and stood up. "Well, looks like you're not the only one who turned out hungry." He slipped his phone out of his pocket. "I'll call the girls and we can grab some food," blue eyes glanced up at the raven haired boy, "if you want to tag along."

Percy paused before nodding. It still bothered him about the friendliness that he had received already, but perhaps it was just something he had to get used to. Percy's stomach growled as well. "Yeah, food sounds great right now."

"Great." Luke beamed and held his phone up to his ear. "It's almost time for lunch anyways, and most people will be on their way to church." He paused. "Hey, Annabeth. Yeah, we're done." The blond's lips scrunched up. "No, I don't think you should trust her to give you a makeover. Yes, I remember what she did to him. And you know how much he hates pink."

Percy's stomach growled again. He would have to go grocery shopping as soon as he was done with school tomorrow. He would not survive long without nourishment. Luke seemed to notice his stomach again and chuckled.

"Yeah, hey," Luke continued. "So, the new kid and I were going to grab some food while the angry mobs are gonna be at church. You two want to tag along?" Luke beamed and ran his finger along the metal chain around his neck. "Great! We'll see you two in fifteen." Luke hung up and smiled over at Percy. "So, we'll meet up by the school. You want to just walk?"

Percy hesitated, his mouth opening and closing. "Um, we don't need to drive?"

"Aw, city kids." Luke chuckled and opened the door for Percy. The raven haired boy stepped outside and Luke allowed him to lock his apartment door. "No, the place won't be that far to walk. And it'll give Thalia some sun."

Percy chuckled as they walked down the stairs. Luke was turning out to be an okay guy. Perhaps a little odd, but still a nice guy. So Percy was somewhat happy that he had at least made a friend today. It would make tomorrow a bit easier on him.

They found Annabeth and Thalia standing under a large tree. The black choker around Thalia's neck caught the green-eyed boy's attention in the light. A silver coin hung from it, and on it was etched an eagle carrying a lightning bolt. "Are you two girls ready yet?" Thalia asked. Percy looked up to meet her eyes when she looked over at him.

"Been waiting on you two," Luke smirked with his arms crossed.

Thalia grinned and hooped her arm through Luke's. The blond smiled and began walking. Annabeth peered around the two between Percy and herself. "So, did you get all settled in?"

"For the most part." Percy stared down at her. "I have some more stuff coming tomorrow, so I'm just going to wait on organizing everything. Well," he chuckled, "what can constitute as organizing."

The school was left behind them as they walked down the sidewalk. They got a few looks from people along the way from the few people that had apparently not already on their way to church. In a small town like this, he was not surprised he was drawing attention from passing eyes.

Luke's brow furrowed and he slowed down. A crowd had congregated outside one of the churches. The two girls took notice of this and they began to walk more cautiously down the sidewalk. But when a loud sob pierced through the air, all four of them stopped. A woman with tears streaking down her face broke through the crowd. And Percy finally saw what everyone was looking at, though no one was willing to get extremely close to.

Hanging from the cross that sat outside the church was a man, or what was left of one. His face was melted, actually melted, like candle wax. Boils, pustules, and burns covered every inch of exposed flesh on his body. The man's clothes were still smoking and had been burned severely. Percy could see where some of the man's nose was starting to sink lower on his face. His eyes were missing from their sockets, and his mouth hung open. And then the smell of sulfur finally hit his nose.

The crying woman fell backwards as she skidded to a halt. Her eyes were wide as she saw them. "They did this!" She cried out.

The crowd of church goers turned around. Angry looks quickly replaced their distraught ones. "They murdered the pastor!"

Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth took a step back. Luke held an arm out, placing it in front of the two girls. Thalia's eyes were wide in fright, while Annabeth had her lips pursed and her head down. And then the chorus of shouting began.

"Devil worshippers!"

"Satanists!"

"They're evil! They need to be run out of town!"

"Witches!"

Percy just stood there in shock. He was not sure what to concern himself with more. A dead man was crucified on a cross, the town was full of ignorant bigots, and his new friends were being accused of killing a man with witchcraft.

So, before I get any complaints about anything offensive about the south in the story, I shall make it known that I do live in the south here in the United States. Although, it doesn't mean I can write southern accents very well, as I'm slowly finding out. Born and raised here, and yet I'm not very southern at heart. And I know that a lot of places in the south, if not most, are not like this town I've created, but I also know that there are people and places around here that do fit the stereotypes. I just find the setting interesting.

As for Luke, you may notice I've written him differently for this, compared to my other fics. I considered Luke and his personality, taking out the gods from the equations, and felt he would be a friendly person. He seems to care about the other campers, and trying to do what's best for a lot of them. He just wasn't smart with those decisions. And in the first book, he seemed like a nice guy until the end. So I thought it was a nice change of pace.

Anyways, l hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. You'll see Nico in the second chapter. Well, again, if you saw the obvious in this chapter. So let me know what you guys thought. Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review. I'll see you lovely people next time.