I don't own anything. Seriously. College student here. I am forever broke.

II

It was 6:15 when the first wave of customers hit. They were the regulars from Lakeview, a high school not too far from the place. Reyna sat on a counter behind the bar when the group stumbled in, laughing. One blonde boy, whom she kind of got a long with waved at her. He had his arm around a girl so the interaction was brief. Reyna kept her face impassive as the kids all slid into booths and tables. Inside she scolded herself for always being too reserved and shy to make any friends at her school. That could've been her, chatting among her friends and laughing. No matter. Reyna had made good grades—good enough to get into a state university or maybe even community college-and steered clear out of trouble. She wouldn't stay in such a suffocating neighborhood. Reyna had plans to move out somewhere more diverse. Accepting. That was an issue of the city that always bothered her.

Typically when one thought of Chicago, they'd imagine the glittering downtown skyscrapers, towering high above. Maybe they'd even think of Cloud Gate, the silvery shaped bean that tourists swarmed in order to take the perfect wedding picture or selfie. Downtown wasn't just Chicago. The city had different, smaller sections that branched off. Like Reyna lived in southern outskirts of Chicago. And not that she wanted to bash on her neighborhood, but it definitely had its flaws. It wasn't all nice and pristine like downtown. The opposite really. Her neighborhood was mainly made up of Latino families, most of them immigrants from countries like Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba and Puerto Rico. That meant that there was scarcely any revenue going back into the community to fix the shitty roads and decaying telephone poles. Plus, there was the issue with gangs terrorizing the streets with the promise of more money if you joined them. Reyna had lost count of how many of her elementary school classmates had gotten swept up in that.

She remembered this one time after school, Reyna had been walking home with Hylla when an older guy dressed in black approached them. Her older sister had been a couple of months away from graduating 8th grade and Reyna had been in 6th grade. When the guy came close, Hylla had taken hold of Reyna's hand and told her to stay quiet. The guy and Hylla argued but most of what they were saying hadn't made sense to Reyna. Something about taking something to somewhere. He said that since Hylla was a woman, no one would suspect her. Hylla was red in the face with anger or embarrassment? Reyna had trouble reading her sister. Hylla kept shaking her head, mumbling, "No. That was the last time. I'm done."

The guy looked ticked off but turned on his heel and sauntered away. Afterwards, as the two sisters had continued walking home, Hylla took Reyna by the shoulders, looked into her eyes and said, "Not a word as to what happened. Ever."

Reyna had always looked up to and adored her sister. She'd never betray her trust. As the years went by, it slowly had dawned on Reyna that her sister might've been a drug mule at some point in her life. Probably to make some extra cash or something. She had never exactly asked Hylla what had gone down. Whatever the case, it made Reyna's resentment towards gangs grow. It was their fault their community was in shambles. Their fault that she couldn't stay out past 8 o'clock. Their fault that cops were always profiling people. Their fault that Hylla had gone so far away.

The door continued to chime and Reyna snapped back to reality. Her coworkers, if you could call them that, were flitting to and fro taking everyone's orders. The joint was packed by now. Tonight's event was a local band performing called Blue Plastic Hairbrush. Why such a stupid name for a band? Reyna didn't know but she had to admit they were good. They had a sort of indie rock sound to them and mainly played covers. BPH was mainly made up of girls, save for the drum player (who Reyna thought was pretty cute). There was Piper, the lead singer. She was beautiful, and had a voice like Fergie and Jesus. She was that good. Hazel, another member, was all over the place. She played the keyboard and sang back up. Her voice, too, was amazing. So soulful and sad that after shows Reyna often had to blink rapidly to evade tears. Hazel also played the tambourine. She simply oozed talent. It probably had something to do with all those unkempt curls piled on her hair.

Rachel was another member, a red head with too many freckles. She didn't sing. In fact, she rarely showed up. When she did show up, she'd play the cello or the triangle. Pretty useless, Reyna figured. The last band member was Thalia, or Thals, the guitarist. She was the whole enchilada to the band—man, could she rock a solo. If Thalia ever quit BPH, she'd have no trouble finding a band to take her in. Nico was the drummer who never talked but he poured out passion into his music.

BPH had played several times at Skinny's. No matter what weather, they always drew in a full house. Reyna guessed because they were all gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to come? It was like attending a free Paramore concert featuring Beyonce and Demi Lovato. No, really. They were that good.

It made Reyna feel bland and untalented. No matter. Reyna wasn't up for shenanigans like rehearsing for a band and arguing over what rhymed with Sparta. She was fine being Reyna—boring, yeah, but strong.

Tonight the members of BPH were casually mingling with the customers. who were probably their friends too. There were screams, and hugs and 'omigod do I love your shoes' from their friends. Reyna just stood watching, poised by the cash register, chin in her hand. She caught sight of Hazel sneaking away to a far booth, her hands clasped with a boys and Thalia giving a purple nurple to the boy Reyna has said hi to.

"Excuse me," said a voice.

Reyna glanced lazily to the person who had spoken. It was a boy, an inch or two taller than her. He had tanned skin, brown eyes and his hair was a mess of brown curls. He was wearing a shirt with an owl in an lab coat, the word 'Who?' written in cursive underneath. Immediately, Reyna liked him- he had good taste in TV shows.

"Um yeah?" she said, eyeing him some more. He didn't have food or a drink so he obviously wasn't paying.

"I was wondering if you have a highlighter," he asked.

Reyna began, "Actually I have a pe—"

"—because I wanna be the highlight of your day," he finished, slowly cracking a smile.

Reyna stared at him. She twisted her mouth in distaste, immediately taking back her initial thought of him and beginning to hate him. How dare he try corny pick-up lines on her? Did she look like some kind of piece of meat he could just pick up so easily?

Without batting an eyelash, Reyna coldly replied, "I have a pen. Do you want it or not?"

The boy nodded, clearly disappointed by her reply. She tossed him the ballpoint pen and he clumsily caught it. "Gosh, could you be a bit more careful? That thing could practically act as a sword and pierce me."

Reyna didn't reply. She just continued to glared at him as if to say, 'You're a loser and I clearly have better things to do'. The brown haired boy cleared his throat and handed her back the pen with a napkin. "This pen is actually for you, so you can write your digits for me."

Gah. The nerve. "How about I write them on your face?"

The boy cracked a smile, and continued unfazed. "Actually, I know a better place you can write them."

By that point, Reyna was ready to reach over and strangle the boy out of existence but Piper materialized beside him. "Leo!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. "I'm so glad you could come."

Leo was a dark shade of red when Piper pulled away. He clearly had feelings for Piper. He straightened his rumbled tee shirt, glancing at Reyna out of the corner of his eye when Piper wasn't looking. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, Pipes."

Piper squealed and clapped her hands. She turned to Reyna, and flashed her a sneaky smile. "Reyna! Heyyy, this is Leo. One of my best friends." So she had caught that glance from Leo. Ouch, he was deep in the Friendzone River.

Casually, Reyna nodded. She tore her glare from Leo to Piper.

"Reyna was just about to give me her number, Piper, before you cockblocked."

Piper's eyes turned the size of the moon, and Reyna barked out a laugh. "Um, no. I wasn't. I was just about to kick your ass for harassing me."

That elicited a laugh from Piper. She looped her arm with Leo's. "Two strawberry banana smoothies, please. One for me and one for this reject."

Leo's face was ablaze. In a few moments, he'd be a scorched pile of ash. Reyna took Piper's cash.

"Keep the change," said the singer and dragged her best friend away.

As Reyna got to work on the smoothies, she caught Piper saying to Leo. "She's not kidding about kicking you ass either."

She ran a knife down the strawberry. Her lips curved up into a smirk. Damn right, she thought. I can take his scrawny butt any day. As fierce as she wanted to be, Reyna secretly thanked Leo for being brave enough to flirt with her. She made sure her face was always fixed with a cold regard and a hostile stance in order to intimidate and scare men. If Leo had seen her like that, and regardless, still had come to flirt…Reyna had to give him props. He was brave. Or really stupid. She finished the smoothies just as Piper reappeared to pick them up. She returned to her table which seemed to be rapidly growing with people. BPH's fans were starting to get rowdy. Reyna hopped they didn't spill anything. She wasn't in the mood for yelling, asskicking and mopping.

Skinny reappeared in a haste. "Reyna," he called out as he hopped over the bar. "Lights."

Reyna knew the drill. She flipped a switch off next to the blender and the lights dimmed. Piper and Leo's table whooped as Piper sheepishly made her way to the stage, along with Hazel and Thalia. Nico had been behind the drums the whole time, quietly sulking. Reyna heaved a dreamy sigh. If Reyna were to ever want to settle down and have a relationship, it'd be with Nico. He seemed like the kind of guy who wouldn't mind sitting together for hours without uttering a word. Plus, his tall, skinny and dark physique was to die for.

As the band assembled, Skinny reappeared with microphones and a guy at his side. He caught Reyna's eye and motioned her over. Maybe this was his cousin. Reyna hopped over the counter and walked over to them. She took in the features of the guy Skinny was talking to. He was tall—taller than her and Skinny. Maybe 5'11? His jet black hair drooped into his eyes. He wore an orange tee-shirt and leather necklace with colorful beads. He seemed pretty basic alright until Reyna inched closer. The smell hit her first and she absentmindedly clutched her chest. Waves of nostalgia washed over her. She was instantly transported to Playa Boquerón (Boqueron beach) back home, to endless nights playing in the sand with her older sister, to coconut drinks sold in tents to the salty ocean breeze that rippled in her hair. That's what the boy smelled like. Like the ocean. Like Puerto Rico. Like Home.

She blinked rapidly as Skinny took her by the shoulder and introduced them. She was vaguely aware of what he was saying. He's just like home, she thought hazily. He's Puerto Rico, he's—shit, his mouth is moving. What was his name? Perry? Perry.

Reyna stuck out her hand for him. He took it, staring intently at her. They shook hands for almost a minute before Perry frowned and withdrew it. Reyna let out a nervous laugh.

"Aww, she's at a loss for words. That's a first," Skinny cooed, ruffling her hair. Her braid started to come away. "He asked you what your name meant."

Reyna's lips formed an 'o'. "Ahhh, oh, sorry Perry. I was sort of distracted, ahem. It means queen. Reyna. In Spanish. Because I'm from, like, Puerto Rico. "

Percy let out a joyous laugh. "It's beautiful. Exotic." Reyna felt her cheeks heat up. Thank god for the dim lighting.

"Well, why don't you two kids get to know each other some more," Skinny drawled out with a goofy grin plastered onto his face. "I'm gonna go finish helping out the ladies do their sound check." Before he left, he pulled Reyna into a side hug, and whispered into her ear, "Oh be-te-dubs, his name is Percy," winked and left once again.

Reyna blushed even more furiously. Well, shit. She fanned her face and looked around the room. "Jesus, it's getting a bit stuffy in here."

Percy nodded, looking around the room too. He looked just as uncomfortable as she did. "Hell yeah. Imagine how hot it'll get once they begin."

She knew he was just being nice and making small talk for his cousin's sake. Soon enough, he'd excuse himself and leave to find his friends. Reyna was simply the uninteresting girl who made smoothies. Still, she didn't want Percy to leave. He smelled so good.

Reyna noticed Percy was staring at her. His eyes twinkled in the dark. What color were they? "Hey," he exclaimed. "How about we start moving to the stage so we're not packed in with everyone?"

Before Reyna could reply, he took her by the hand and led her to the front of the small stage. His salty ocean smell wafted into her nose. They stood in the right handed side of the stage. Reyna judged by the keyboard that they'd be directly parallel to Hazel. Percy and Reyna stood in silence as they waited. For some reason he was still holding her hand. She allowed her self to gaze upon him. His face was washed with pink and purple due to the show light boring down on him. He was muttering to himself, maybe singing along to the jukebox. Chiding himself? Reyna did it all the time. He probably felt her staring at him and returned the look. "I'm sorry this is so awkward. I don't really know how to interact with cute girls."

It took her a couple of seconds to register his compliment. Her lips twitched with a smile. "It's okay. I'm not used to getting called cute."

Percy laughed again, throwing his head back dramatically. His teeth were in perfect alignment. Even in a pink hue, he looked good.

"I'm sorry I called you Perry, Percy" she blurted. She had no idea why. Reyna just wanted to be on good terms with this beautiful stranger.

Percy smirked. "Ah, so she does know my name. I figured you were trying to be mean, and act completely rude like girls do when they're trying to blow off a guy."

"No, no—well, yes. That's something I would do. I'd also punch a guy too but I didn't really catch your name in the first place. Skinny caught me off guard. I mean, what kind of name is Percy?"

"What kind of name is Reyna?" he countered, playfulness in his tone.

"Ah, touché."

Percy turned away from her. She vaguely registered people crowding behind her. Percy had been smart. Being upfront allowed her and Percy to be near a vent that blew down cool air. They could head bang and shuffle without worrying about breaking a sweat.

"Perseus," he said.

"Bless you?"

"Hah, no I mean my nam—"

He was interrupted by a screech of feedback and the band members piled on stage. Thalia took hold of the microphone and yelled, "Are you guys ready to have the time of your lives?"

Spectators started to gather as they cheered. Thalia shook her blue and black hair in astonishment.

"Awesome," she yelled and handed the mic to Piper.

"How are you guys doing?" she said with a laugh. Some people replied. Percy wolf-whistled at her. Reyna internally rolled her eyes. Of course he'd go after someone like Piper. She was practically the reincarnation of Venus.

"Good, good," the Cherokee singer continued. "We are Blue Plastic Hairbrush, and tonight we have the lovely Hazel Levesque on the keys, silent-but-deadly Nico DiAngelo on drums, your girl-next-door Thalia (Thalia gave Piper the bird at that) playing the guitar and I am Piper. We'll start off with some covers. We hope you guys enjoy."

Nico began to play the drums and Hazel the keyboard. It started off as weird psychedelic sound, puzzling Reyna, but immediately the sound became more popish. Piper began to sing, "When you first left me, I was wantin' more but you were screwing that girl next door. Wha'dya do that for...?"

Reyna gasped and unintentionally tugged on Percy's shirt. He turned and said, "I love this song!" just as she declared, "I love Lily Allen."

The smiled at each other and turned away, bopping and nodding their heads to Piper's sweet voice.

BPH played Royals by Lorde next. Hazel and Piper did this thing where they switched verses so it became a duet. It sounded cool. Thalia just stood there uncomfortable to not be playing her guitar and snapped rhythmically. Afterwards they played, Its My Life by No Doubt. Apparently that was a crowd favorite because bodies started gyrating and screaming the chorus at their top of their lungs. Even Reyna joined in with Percy. She let herself go for a minute and enjoyed the music of BPH. The chorus hit her especially hard.

It's my life. Don't you forget. Oh, its my life. It never ends.

It was her life. She wasn't going to let her parents, her sister, or some childish gang members define her life. She was going to take control of it, live, enjoy and make mistakes along the way but it' d be hers.

Reyna closed her eyes as the girls on stage and Thalia rocked out. Everything was blissful until she felt someone jab her in the side and Percy exclaimed, "Valdez?"

She opened her eyes only to find Leo grinning at her, wedged in between Reyna and Percy. Instantly her face hardened.

"You look so much more friendly with your eyes closed," Leo yelled at her.

Reyna crossed her arms, and rolled her eyes so hard that she burned ten calories. Reyna resisted the urge to punch Leo in the face during the rest of Blue Plastic Toothbrush's set.

Phew

That was fun to write.

Anyway, few words. This isn't your typical demigod story here. I'm trying to incorporate real life issues into the story (even though the gods are real and we're all demigods). Also, this story takes place in Chicago. I wish I could've written about NY but I'm not from there so it'd be harder and really artificial if I talked about Manhattan not knowing a spit of it.

Also, if you're solely a Percabeth shipper, I suggest you stop reading and save yourself a heart attack because by the look of things...Me? I'm hardcore Percabeth but its nice to write with an open mind for other ships. Plus, I love Reyna so I want to experiment with her a little since there's not a whole lot about her.

Oh and yes, I introduced more demigods! Y'all didn't think I'd leave them out of the fun now! Piper, Hazel, Leo, Nico, Jason, and good ol' Pinecone Face.

Like it? Love it? What are your opinions? What do you want to see? What's your favorite ship?

-Passy