Title: Apartment 23

Summary: A story about a gambling Italian, a violent punk, a drunkard goatboy, an insane pyromaniac, a golden boy, a rich girl, and a semi-sane boy whose head is full of seaweed whose only sanctuary is the blonde brainiac next door. Welcome to Apartment 23. College!AU

Genres: Romance/Friendship

Pairings: Percy/Annabeth/Luke, Nico/Thalia, Piper/Jason, Reyna/Leo, Hazel/Frank, Silena/Beckendorf, Clarisse/Chris, Travis/Katie,

Warnings: Drinking, gambling, and Leo's flirting. (Also the occasional illegal driving and Russian roulette)

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo Chapter Four

IT WAS midnight in San Diego, they were sitting in a hijacked Mercedes-Benz, and Percy was screwed.

In the driver's seat, Nico adjusted the rearview mirror, his black fedora tilted casually forward on his head, and his completely black clothing blending in perfectly with the black interior of the car. With his black t-shirt and skinny jeans, he would have looked like a normal punk on a Saturday night, trying to enjoy his freedom before school started up again, but the three young men in the car all knew that that was just half of the story.

Leo rolled down his window, grinning as the California breeze ruffled up his brown curls, and the loud sound of honking cars and booming radios reached his ears. He let out a laugh of utter euphoria, the obvious thrill and exhilaration of driving around nighttime San Diego at a hundred miles an hour getting to him.

Percy, on the other hand, was on the edge of a heart attack.

He leaned back against his seat in the back in obvious horror, the cool breeze of the night pushing against his face. His green eyes were wide with disbelief as he saw the relaxed way Nico drove the car, and the wild look in Leo's eyes as he stared at the tall buildings they quickly passed by. He had no idea how they had not been caught yet, but he found himself completely wishing that they would be soon.

Nico took a hard left, jerking his body to the side and bringing the car screeching to the other side of the road, narrowly missing several cars in the process. Leo let out a whoop of excitement, while Percy barely managed to stop himself from screaming.

"Fottiti!" Nico spat, leaning his head out of the window to make a gesture at the cars behind him.

Percy made a choking sound, paling slightly. "The speed limit's 85!" he wailed, not able to keep the obvious panic out of his voice. "You almost hit them!"

Nico sent him a dark look, causing him to practically wilt into his seat. "They should pay more attention to where they are going," he replied coldly, jerking his steering wheel sharply to the right, causing another car to quickly move out of the way, off of the road. The cars behind them honked angrily, causing Nico to curse in Italian under his breath and shout out, "Watch where you are going! Idioti!"

Leo guffawed, throwing his head back. "So, it's true! Italians really can't drive!"

"Nonsense," Nico replied, suddenly much calmer than he had been just a few seconds ago. His fedora was tilted forward, casting shadows over his eyes. In that moment, he perfectly resembled a young Mafia boss, and it was as if they had all been transported back to the 1970s, or an old black and white movie.

Either way, Percy suddenly felt chills, and he couldn't help but feel totally out of his comfort zone in that car.

He was stuck with two crazies.

At midnight.

'Why did I agree to come with them?' Percy asked himself mournfully, holding back a gasp as Nico took a sharp turn into an alley, the darkness of the walls closing in on them.

Everything was black.

'I'm going to die,' Percy thought in horror. He'd seen these kinds of situations in the movies- once you got into an alley, there was no turning back. There was either some illegal activity going on somewhere behind a back door, or they were bringing him there to kill him.

Although Percy would never admit it, when that thought had hit him, he unconsciously let out a soft whimpering sound, his face as pale as it could get.

After a few more moments of panicked whimpering, Nico finally stopped the car at the end of the alley, parking next to a dark, steel door in the side of the large building they were next to.

Percy was going to go with illegal activity, and, guiltily, he realized that he was much more relieved at that outcome.

Leo and Nico opened their doors and got out of the car, Percy hesitantly doing the same. The atmosphere was cold when he stepped outside, the air clouded with smoke and the smell of something burning.

He shivered, wishing that he had been smart enough to bring a jacket.

Nico and Leo stood in front of the door, looking as if this was a normal occurrence for them- which, Percy realized, it probably was. Nico lightly kicked the bottom of the steel door with the tip of his combat boot, stepping closer and rapping his gloved knuckle against the door. "Hey! Stupido! Aprire la porta!"

After a few tense moments, the steel door was shoved open, and an Asian male who looked to be about their age stood before them. With a jolt, Percy realized that he was one of the students he had seen in the hallways when he had first walked into the apartment- the one with the eye patch. His hair was black and messy, and his one visible eye stared coldly at the three teenagers before him, the air around them seeming to crackle with ice. He had a wiry and slim build, and his black clothes seemed to almost hang off of his body. If he hadn't looked so intimidating, Percy probably would have felt concern towards the guy. He was so pale he almost looked sick.

"I don't understand Italian," Eye Patch spoke up dryly, leaning against the door frame.

"Yes, well, I don't understand Japanese," Nico responded back just as testily, and the obvious tension between the two hung in the air like a dark fog, threatening to wrap around their necks like a rope. Percy almost winced at the foreboding feeling, wrapping his arms around his body and awkwardly watching the scene before him play out. Leo, on the other hand, didn't seem at all bothered by the rivalry between the two, as seen from the pleasant smile on his face, and the absolutely patient look in his eyes.

It was actually quite disturbing.

Eye Patch narrowed his eye, crossing his thin arms over his chest. "Hai. And neither of us speaks Russian either."

"Or Spanish," Leo spoke up helpfully, smiling in an almost lethal way. "No te olvides de mi."

Nico and Eye Patch both tensed immediately at hearing Leo speak his native language, and Percy also found himself stiffening when he heard it. For some reason, the fact that Leo felt the need to speak in his native tongue carried a dangerous quality to it, an almost lethal message of warning.

'Don't forget me.'

Eye Patch shifted slightly, managing to regain his cold exterior. "Right," he confirmed, sending Leo a curt nod. He settled his gaze on Percy, and he could have sworn that he was looking right into his soul.

With a shudder, Percy realized that Nico and Eye Patch had a lot more in common than he would have liked.

"Who is this?" Eye Patch asked, nodding his head towards Percy, his bangs falling over his eyes.

"Percy Jackson," Nico replied, an Italian lilt to his accent.

Leo smiled brightly, his face lighting up the darkness of the alley like a flashlight. "He's our new roommate."

Eye Patch raised an eyebrow at that statement, narrowing his eye at the aforementioned roommate. For a few moments, he just stared at him, as if trying to see every little secret and emotion Percy was trying to hide. Then, he nodded stiffly, shifting his position slightly against the door frame. "Ethan Nakamura." He didn't hold out his hand to shake, so Percy didn't either. He didn't seem to exactly hate his presence, but he obviously wasn't happy that he was there either.

Percy cleared his throat awkwardly, shuffling his battered sneakers against the rocky ground beneath his feet. "Nice to meet you."

Nico adjusted the fedora on his head, his dark eyes glinting in the darkness. "Is Thalia in there?"

'Thalia?' Percy thought, surprise etched into his features. He suddenly remembered the conversation that Piper and Annabeth had had back at the apartment; no one would tell her where Thalia was, even though it was obvious that they knew her location. Percy suddenly looked at the darkness behind the door in a new light. 'Is Thalia in there?'

Ethan nodded curtly, stepping aside to let the three of them in. "She's been here all day."

Ethan closed the door as the small group stepped inside, their footsteps echoing off of the stone floors. It was dark, and the air almost seemed to be trying to suffocate them with the smell of sweat and…

'Blood,' Percy thought, a chill running down his spine. He had gotten himself into enough trouble when he was younger to recognize the smell. The scent seemed to drift around them all like a boat lost at sea, the currents leading to a large room at the end of the hallway. From what Percy could see, the door they had just passed through seemed to be the only entrance and the only exit.

Trying not to shudder, he held his breath, cautiously following the three other students down the narrow hallway, leading out into a large room at the end. It was oval-shaped and completely dark, both the walls and the floor made out of stone. If Percy were still breathing from his nose, he was sure that the scent of blood would have been more evident in there. In the middle of the room, a large, square table made out of the finest and shiniest of wood stood there, a black revolver casually placed in the center.

Percy blanched, his green eyes shining like dull emeralds as he stared at the weapon on the table, his mind exploding with memories. Back when he was younger, and his step-father, 'Smelly Gabe' had still lived with him and his mother, he remembered how, one night, he had awoken to the sound of gunshots in the living room. It was a foggy memory, for it had happened when he was still just about six-years-old; much too young to be able to understand just exactly what was going on. His mother had always preferred to keep her son away from any sort of violence, so he hadn't figured out just exactly what had gone on that night until he was in his last year of middle school, having just watched a movie late one night at home in the dark- right there in that same living room.

Russian roulette: A high-stakes game where a player places a single round in a revolver, spins the cylinder, and places the muzzle against their head, pulling the trigger. There is a one in n chance that the player will get the loaded chamber, depending on many various factors, the most important one being luck.

'It's a risky game,' he remembered one of the characters saying in the movie. 'It's a gamble against life- you either win, or you lose. It's as simple as that.'

'Neither of us speaks Russian either,' he suddenly remembered Ethan saying, the words echoing ominously in his head.

To Percy, it was clear now just exactly what went on in this room. The smell of blood, the 'Russian' statement, the revolver…

'You guys play Russian roulette," Percy unconsciously choked out, his voice coming out strangled and full of innocent disbelief. He looked like a young child, as if having seen a cute puppy being kicked and tossed away- a first look at the real world. Someone had died right in this room- maybe even in the exact spot he was standing in.

Ethan studied Percy's expression, his hands stuffed casually in his pockets, his stance relaxed. There was a hint of sympathy in his expression, as if he understood exactly what Percy was feeling at that moment.

"Every Saturday," Leo confirmed, his tone of voice much too cheerful considering the circumstances.

Nico languidly stepped into the room, his fedora pulled low over his face. "Where's Thalia?" He wrinkled his nose, the strong smell suddenly hitting him. "And where's the body?"

The way he asked that question- 'Where's the body?'- made Percy stiffen in anxiety. It was as if he were asking, 'What's for dinner?' or 'Where's the TV remote?' There was absolutely no remorse or any sort of horrified quality to his words. Just a question of, 'Where's the body?' as if it were a normal statement or something that usually occurred.

It was almost like how those on-screen investigators on any fictional crime show on TV spoke about it. They held no remorse when they saw the scene of the crime, no disbelief at seeing the body in autopsy- as if someone had not just been brutally murdered and no one had just died. A wave of nausea washed over him, and he suddenly felt violently ill. Even though there was no body in sight, the strong scent of blood and the mere knowledge of what exactly had happened around him made him want to immediately bolt out of the room and run far, far away, back to Manhattan and back to his semi-sane, and somewhat boring life.

When he was younger, he had always yearned for adventure, like in the movies and in the few books he had actually read. He dreamed of becoming a pirate, a superhero, or even just a normal person, who had somehow attracted thrill and adventure by just being themselves.

This wasn't what he had aimed for.

He tried to calm himself, taking deep, steady breaths and pinching the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and trying to get rid of the dizziness that had overtaken him. He felt faint and unsteady on his feet, his body about ready to just give up and collapse to the ground, unconscious and away from the situation he was currently in.

He felt someone grab his elbow and steady him, the presence of this person calm and relaxed. He felt himself lean towards this sort of shelter, his mind slowly clearing and his nose gradually adjusting to the smell and atmosphere. When he felt that he could open his eyes and stand on his own without fainting, he did so, and, immediately, his life support gave up on him, and the calming presence was gone. Looking to his side, with a surprised jolt, he realized that it had been Ethan who had been steadying him. He didn't seem to have changed his expression or stance at all, his eyes still cold and calculating and his stance still stiff and robotic.

But he had helped Percy, and that was enough.

Percy swallowed down the bile that was rising up from his throat, giving the other male a grateful nod, not able to say or do anything else. Ethan returned the gesture, his gaze softening just slightly.

Somehow, someway, Ethan knew exactly how it felt to be in Percy's shoes, and, for that, he was grateful.

"You alright now, Newbie?" Leo asked, walking over to Percy's side and slapping him good-naturedly on the back, much to the latter's shock.

"Erm," Percy started awkwardly, his face burning, "I'm fine." A sharp feeling of embarrassment flew through him, causing him to look down at his sneakers. They were torn and battered, with little doodles and dirt strewn all around them. He had bought them in a small store in Manhattan, where everything was messy and everything made sense.

Nico frowned, but whether it was because of Percy's reaction, or because of the stench of the room, the latter wasn't sure. "Who…" Sending Percy a wary glance, he quickly changed his sentence. "Where's Thalia?"

"I'm right here." The four of them turned around towards the hall they had come through. Thalia stood there boldly, a leather jacket slung over her shoulder, and her combat boots specked with red.

Percy looked away.

"Yo, Thals," Leo greeted, his usual grin plastered across his face. "What do you think you're doing here?" He had a casual lilt to his tone, but by the reprimanding glint in his eyes, it was clear that he wasn't at all happy that she was here.

She flicked her eyes towards him, pursing her lips in disapproval. It was as if she were upset that they were there. "What do you think you're doing here?" she shot back, tightening her grip on her jacket, so tightly her knuckles were turning white. "You guys are supposed to be back at the apartment." Her gaze settled on Percy, and her eyes flashed spitefully, as if it were his fault that they were all there in the first place. "You brought him too?" she snapped, turning her head towards Nico, who stood at a safe distance from the fuming girl, his expression displaying nothing but boredom. "Are you all stupid? Do you know how dangerous that is?" She cocked her head towards Percy. "He has nothing to do with this!"

"Well, he does now," Nico replied breezily, his eyes not leaving hers. Their eyes were so different from each other's- one had the darkest eyes imaginable, like a madman's, resembling shattered glass, while the other had eyes the color of the sky, blue like lightning and crackling like electricity. It was such a stunning difference, it gave Percy chills.

Their eyes were so different, and yet they were exactly the same.

"Annabeth's looking for you," Leo spoke up, tilting his head to the side, as if honestly perplexed at her spiteful behavior.

Thalia tensed immediately, her grip on her jacket so tight now, that Percy wondered how her fingers hadn't broken yet. "And what did you say?" she asked stiffly, not turning to look at him.

Leo smirked, his eyes alighting like fire. It was dangerous, and Percy could practically see flames dancing in his eyes. He looked like a bomb waiting to explode, fireworks getting out of hand, a wildfire; there was no telling what the guy was truly thinking or feeling, and Percy suddenly realized just what kind of person he was dealing with.

He was glad that that gaze wasn't settled upon him.

"Nothing," he sang, his voice ringing out across the dark room. "We said we had no idea where you were."

The air seemed to grow colder at his statement, as if that were the worst thing that they could have said.

Thalia went rigid for a moment, and then turned around, the expression on her face unreadable. "Let's go," she muttered, already making her way out of the room.

Nico and Leo exchanged a look, the former's cold, while the latter's mischievous. Finally, the two of them nodded at each other, and then Nico made his way out, holding up a hand in goodbye aimed towards Ethan.

Leo sent Ethan a smirk, the fire still gleaming in his eyes. "Have fun, Nakamura. Don't burn up the place, okay?"

Before he could respond, Leo was gone.

Ethan turned his gaze towards Percy, the same stony look in them as before. "You should go," he chastised, his tone of voice less than amused. Hastily, Percy nodded, and, aiming one final hesitant look towards Ethan, he left.

As he quickly walked out of the door, he didn't notice the small flame dancing in one of the corners of the room, and the soft ticking of a timer chiming on the other side.

…

a.n. I apologize for the delay. Summer got away from me, and high school isn't exactly the greatest gift to mankind.

You can all thank The Badgering Brave Weasley for this update. She's been badgering me to get this chapter up for about a month now, and, if she hadn't done so, I doubt that this chapter would have gotten written and posted until about, oh, maybe until Christmas. Or Thanksgiving, depending on how determined I would have been to update. (And I said she 'badgered' me to get this up. Get it? Badgered? Badgering? Like her name? No?)

I have to admit, I quite enjoyed writing this chapter; I think it's my best one yet, and definitely the longest. My writing improved greatly over the summer, so you probably can notice the change in this chapter compared to my other ones.

If any of you are still reading this story, I sincerely thank you for your continuing support through all of my procrastination and sporadic updating schedule. (Meaning, I really don't have one.) Your ever-so-wonderful patience is greatly appreciated.

Please continue to support this story! *bows in a respectful Japanese way*