Some would call the fourth-floor apartment on Chestnut Street "cozy". Its creaking wood floor and vintage wallpaper could even warrant a "charming". In reality,at a whopping $900 a month, the tiny dated apartment was all Annabeth could afford. She tossed her backpack on the floor and plopped on the couch next to Jess, her roommate who was currently transfixed in a reality show blaring on their TV. Annabeth let out an audible sigh as she felt her muscles relax. That earned a sideways glance from Jess.
"How was your first day?" she asked.
"Kinda sucked." Annabeth answered, rubbing the back of her neck.
In reality, most of her classes had been a breeze;her professors were fine, and she loved the course material. The thing that truly bothered her was the guy in her Economics class, Ro. She would have been fine if he were just another demigod. She could have dropped the class, kept her distance, and finished the semester without incident. But the way he'd spoken into her mind-as if he were simply talking to her and slipped into another language-left her unsettled. A powerful curiosity burned, and threatened to consume her. She groaned as she realized she couldn't leave him alone until she had all of her questions answered. Suddenly Jess stood and said cheerily, "Well, it's not too late to make it better! I'm going out soon, you have to come with!"
Jess was everything Annabeth was not. Tall and lithe, where Annabeth was short with gentle curves. Peppy and optimistic were Annabeth was ever the skeptic. While it seemed like the two girls would butt heads, the opposite was true. Jess gave Annabeth that extra nudge into social life, while Annabeth kept Jess grounded.
"Sure," Annabeth replied lightly. She convinced herself that the fun of a party would distract her. Jess grabbed her hand and and led her to the bathroom. "Come on, I'll do your makeup!"
"Okay,now open your eyes." Annabeth looked into the mirror and gasped. She blinked, feeling the weight of fake eyelashes. The makeup made her look older, her features more defined. Annabeth puckered her lips, almost grimacing when she felt the stickiness of lip gloss. "Wow…I look—"
"Hot!" Jess said.
Annabeth looked down, self-consciously running her fingers along the hem of the form-fitting dress Jess let her borrow. Ugh, I can't move in this. Would if I have to fight? she thought. On the way out, Annabeth grabbed the holster for her dagger and slipped it onto her thigh. Percy had given her the magical holster before she left for college "Just in case". Relief washed through her as it disappeared seamlessly under the tight dress.
A short cab ride later they were standing in line for a club downtown. The steady thrum of music coming from the inside, coupled with Jess' bubbly conversation lifted her mood considerably. That is, until she saw Ro. Even though it was dark, his unmistakable golden hair and domineering stature gave him away. Annabeth watched him walk through the crowd outside of the club and slip into a seedy bar next door. She uttered something noncommittal to Jess, and began to head toward the bar.
The dive bar was surprisingly full, and soon Annabeth founder herself being bumped around to the beat of some generic 80's rock ballad. She scanned the crowd, careful not to appear conspicuous. She navigated leaning bar stools, steel-toed boots and sideway glances, all while grumbling in disbelief that Ro had vanished just as quickly as he'd appeared.
Her heart leapt into her throat when she felt a strong hand close around her arm and yank her around a corner. She swiftly reached for her dagger but froze when a forked tongue lapped at her cheek and claws black as beetle husks dug into her other arm. She met the eyes of a serpentine man, his face a sickly green pallor. Annabeth blinked, noticing the scales rippling underneath the skin. He hissed,"What's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?" Annabeth struggled, but his claws only dug deeper into her arms. Soon she felt a warm liquid begin to run down the length of her arm and drip on her heels. Blood.
"Hey, hands off." A familiar voice growled.
They both turned to see Ro. He stood dark and beautiful, his shoulders square, knees slightly bent. Annabeth would have complimented his fighting stance if she weren't being accosted by a snake man.
The monster replied, "You know the rules, anything that wanders in here is fair game"
Ro said dangerously, "There's an exception to every rule." They both glanced down to seem him holding a switchblade. Neither noticed when he'd drawn it, only that it held the unnatural glow characteristic of Celestial bronze. The serpentine man's thin lips spread into a pointed sneer. He spat, releasing Annabeth and backing away, "Just like Annalise's goons to expect everyone to follow their laws except their own. You'll get what's coming to you, half-blood."
As soon as he was gone, Ro pulled her close and said quietly in her ear, "You need to get out of here." She pulled away from his grasp and faced him.
"Not until I get answers." It was a bold move, considering that more monsters would be attracted to the bar by the smell of her wounds. There were things she had to know that were rooting her here. To him. Annabeth felt a pang of want and pushed the thought to the back of her mind.
At that, Ro stepped back and said carefully, "Look around you Annabeth. Look closely, but not too close" She glanced over his shoulder and saw the mist ripple around the bar patrons, briefly revealing them for what they were. A cyclops behind the bar cleaned glasses with a rag. Empusa chattered and laughed while sipping martinis. Anxiety crept into her bones as she realized they were vastly outnumbered. She peered up at Ro, who was eyeing her intently.
"They can't smell you as strongly anymore. I'm masking your scent" he said, wrapping an arm protectively around her waist. Annabeth was itching to ask how a demigod could mask another's scent, but Ro was already ushering her to the door. Once they were outside he let her go and kept walking. He slowed to a stop and glanced back expectantly once he realized Annabeth wasn't following.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
Ro casually replied, "Didn't you say you wanted answers?"
