Hi guys! This is the first in a series that I'm going to try to write. It will eventually be a Lukercy romance, but probably not until later books. So enjoy!

The little boy sniffed and shivered in the cold New York air as he huddled against the brick wall behind a dumpster in the alleyway he was hiding in. the coat he had thrown over his shoulders as he raced out of the apartment seemed way too large on his skinny frame, and, yet, not near warm enough. His already messy black hair was tangled and dirty; his bright green eyes were wild and scared.

The five year old stilled completely when he heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming down the alleyway from the side he had come from. The sound of heavy breathing and low muttering filled the alley. A large shadow descended over the wall opposite the boy. He shrank back in fear. Whoever it was had to have been at least eight feet tall to have a shadow that big. A rancid odor—one that smelled of rotten flesh, rotten eggs, and dirty socks—filled the air, and the boy knew that it was one of them.

Percy peeked through the crack between the dumpster and the wall and saw the beast. It was as hideous as it smelled. It was large, almost nine feet tall, and fat, with a bull's snout and horns. It had hooves too. It had matted brown fur covering every inch of its body and its beady black eyes scanned the alleyway, looking for him. Its nose twitched as it smelled the area.

His breath hitched when he heard it mutter, "Demigod."

Percy closed his eyes. For the past two weeks, monsters like the one at the end of the alleyway had been chasing him around New York City. He didn't know why. He didn't care. All he knew was they wouldn't leave him alone and quite obviously wanted him dead.

Percy scrambled back against the wall when he saw the monster shuffle closer. He could still see the beast through the crack, and gulped when he saw it was moving slowly but surely towards the dumpster, its beady eyes narrowed.

Percy could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He could feel the ground trembling with each stomping step the monster took and he grabbed at the dumpster to keep his balance and to keep himself from bolting. He knew from experience that running would only make it worse. He had a rather large scratch on his left side to prove it.

The monster was getting closer… closer…

Percy suppressed a whimper. He wanted nothing more than to run home and curl up in his bed, but he couldn't. Not with this giant monster standing in the way of the only exit.

Closer…

The monster was almost at the dumpster. Its hove/hands were twitching in anticipation and Percy knew he wasn't getting out of this one.

Closer…

Percy shut his eyes, his breaths coming out in fast, frantic puffs of air.

Closer…

Suddenly, the ground wasn't shaking from the force of the monster's steps. The air wasn't filled with the sound of its harsh breathing. There was the sound of metal clanking and a horrible roar, and then nothing.

Percy trembled behind the dumpster and tried to make sense of where the monster had gone. It was obvious it wasn't in the alley anymore, but where had it gone? And what was that roar? It was almost too quiet in the alley now. The only sound in the alley now was his heavy breathing.

So, it was only natural that Percy jumped a foot in the air when a new voice called:

"Hey, kid, you alright?"

Percy's eyes flew open and he stared at the older boy standing above him, eyeing him with mild concern.

"I—I—"

"Whoa!" the kid gasped. "You're pretty banged up, kid. Here, let me—"

"No!" Percy gasped, scrambling back when the boy reached for him.

The boy looked mildly startled, but realization soon dawned in his face and he slowly sat down in front of Percy. "Okay," he said slowly. "No touching. But you need to get some of those scratches and cuts looked at. I want to help you."

Percy shook his head frantically and tried to shrink himself further into the tight ball he'd curled himself into.

"How about we start with names?" the boy suggested. "What's yours?"

Percy hesitated for a moment before softly whispering, "Percy."

"Percy," the boy smiled. "I like that name. Is it short for anything?"

Percy was quiet.

"Okay," the boy said slowly when Percy didn't answer. "How about I tell you my name then? I'm Luke."

I know this chapter is short, but they'll hopefully start to get longer as the story goes on! Remember, reviews are love!

-KL