.7, The House of the Rising Son.

I was fourteen when I was given my first quest. The gods had not been pleased. But they could go and fuck themselves. Over the last year and a half I had become distant from them, distant from their ways. Already now I was withdrawing from them preparing myself for what was to come. I hated them. Sometimes I still do.

My quest was to go chase down some rumor in New Orleans about witches. Yes, you heard that right, witches. Not even the good kind that followed Ezra's mom or her other kids. No like freaking vampire diaries witches. Witches. Luckily I got to take Ezra and Elle with me. So there was a plus side.

Everything was going as expected up until I got seperated from them in the middle of the damned french quarter. We were following up a lead when all of the sudden a fucking hydra appeared. You know I wasn't sure what the mortals saw through the mist because how in the hell could you miss a fucking hydra!? ANd naturally being the strongest smelling demi-god among the three of us it went after me, chasing me through the damn quarter until I could find a nice secluded place to kill it.

I had said this was how I met the king of the quarter. When I'd finally managed to get to a place where I could decimate it, just as I'd manages to subdue the creature he made his presence known.

"Impressive." I turn on my heel quick, trident still in hand ansy and ready to strike. I was still in fight mode. It wasn't a good idea to sneak up on a demigod. Our flight or fight senses were not to be messed with.

Marcel looked every bit as the show had made him. I couldn't help but to gape at him a little, he was attractive and I was finally at an appropriate age to think that. It takes me a moment but I huff indignantly at him, not lowering my weapon in the slightest. He was a vampire, a vampire I didn't know and therefore didn't trust.

"I could have skewered you." I tell him, he raises a brow.

"I am aware little demigod. You ran a long way to take that thing out." He points out casually stuffing his hands in his jackets pockets. Did vampires get hot? I wondered briefly, getting distracted by the prospect for a second. Because it was hot as the fields of punishment and I was melting. Although that could have been from all the running.

"Couldn't risk it hurting a mortal. You on the other hand, well I can't say I'd give the same care to you." He just laughed as if he thought the concept was entertaining as if he didn't realize exactly who's demigod child he was looking at. In his defense he didn't. You couldn't tell by looking at me I was Poseidon's daughter, but i'd already explained that.

"Oh I wouldn't doubt it. Now why don't you put the trident away and you and I can have a conversation about what you and your companions are doing in my town." All I can do is grin madly at him.

"I'll be keeping my trident, but I don't mind talking. Besides you'll want to know King." He grins at me then, it boyish, playful, and dangerous all at the same time. How you may be wondering but I couldn't tell you, all I could say is that it was.

"Marcel." He says after a moment, and all I can do is smirk back at him.

"Alright King, why don't we leave this alleyway and see if I can locate my friends first. Then we'll all have a nice chat." Marcel makes a motion with his hands as if to say ladies first and I almost don't follow.

I was a rebellious child. I didn't take orders well.

He leads us down the strip, saying he can vaguely smell the other two which then brought to my attention that demi-gods must have smelt different to the kind of vampire he was. Never thought about that before, but in my defense Marcel was the first vampire from the series I'd encountered.

Or maybe he'd just met a lot of them? I couldn't be sure and I wasn't about to ask.

"Thank the gods. Why did you run off?" Ella breathes her relief and exasperation as she throws her arms around me. Ezra just shakes his head, but I know he agrees and he won't be prying his girlfriend off of me.

"I thought you were with me until I realized you weren't. Then it was just too late. This is Marcel by the way. He's in charge around here." I tell them making a motion to the vampire who'd taken a step back to give us a moment.

Ella gives me the most unimpressed look she can muster. Which for the record is very impressive and shouldn't be taken for granted. "Of course you would manage to find the King of the Quarter while being chased by a monster. I'm Ella, this is Ezra and I'm sure our small companion didn't introduce herself properly is Adriana." The forger girl says with the air of someone who was not to be taken lightly as she holds out a hand to the vampire.

The thing you are probably wondering is how exactly do we know who Marcel is. How do we know about the existence of supernatural that couldn't be explained by our myths. While my knowledge is understandable Ella and Ezra's probably confuses you a little. It did at first for me, until they told me there stories. Apparently I wasn't the only person pulled from another world. They weren't from my world, oh no I couldn't have gotten that lucky. Ezra was reincarnated from a different timeline parallel to my universe with a few minor tweaks and then Ella came from the Vampire Diaries original universe. So she was all too familiar with its inhabitants. It was funny how the fates worked.

"We need to talk." Ezra tells the man looking around the bustling street in feigned contempt. Marcel raises a brow and I can just shrug. In my internal explanation I must have missed something. That happened from time to time.

Marcel leads us to a small cafe a few blocks over, not a bar, but like a nice little coffee house. Ella decides to actually order something and since we were on camps dime so did Ezra. "So, what brings you three to New Orleans?" He begins giving us curious looks and then adds. "I wasn't aware that there was business here for you demigods."

Now as to how some vampires just know of the existence of demigods and greeks that I couldn't give you an answer for. It was just something that happened from time to time.

"You have a witch problem, it's caught the attention of my mother." Ezra tells him plainly. There was no beating around the bush with him, Ezra was facts and points always. Marcel looks intrigued by that notion he smirks.

"An interesting prospect but this is new orleans." He says as if it's the only explanation we need. Ezra not one to play crosses his arms over his chest. I let him take the lead here for the simple reason of witches were really more his thing. Look at who his mother was, if anyone was going to say there was a problem it was him.

"If it were just simple tourist voodoo or trickery then it wouldn't be a problem. But the actual witches here are beginning to play a dangerous game with things they do not understand. You need to reign them in or else instead of just a warning from three demigods you'll be getting the full force of my mother's vengeance. She doesn't take kindly to those who try to play god." That was true, Hecate while most thought she was unstable actually had rules. She of course wasn't subject to them, but there were rules. Rules anyone who practiced magic had to follow even if they weren't her children. Even if the magic was being sourced through a different thing.

The witches of New Orleans were beginning to twist those rules.

"A harvest is coming, you need to make sure it's fruitless. You are the King of the Quarter. Prove it." Ella adds, she gives him this look. It's meaningful and well balanced she knows something he doesn't. I think that it has something to do with the way she originally died.

"They're right, Marcel you seem like a nice guy so don't be arrogant. This is your city, your people, rule it. Your witches are breaking the rules. You need to make them see reason or you need to give them something to fear." Rhea's words echoes on my tongue. Look I know what your thinking, that I haven't given you enough context here. So this coffee shop negotiation is probably not making a lot of sense. Have no fear I'll explain.

It has everything to do with why this reality was split, and all of our parts to play. Sorta. In the last year I'd learned something, something important. The balance had shifted, their was a crack in the multiverse, it was why the fates had been able to pull me into this split world. Why everything that had and was going to happen was happening. The heavens were fractured, breaking apart at the seams and people were starting to notice. Cracks in the universe were two worlds that shouldn't have mixed were bleeding. A nice festering wound.

They couldn't be closed. They had to be protected. If someone tried to draw power from them, someone other than myself then this world would burn. I was the only one who could safely harness their power, it was the existence of these cracks that was the root of a lot of my power.

I'd been marked. And Ezra and Ella had just come to close to the fracture in their own worlds and suffered the consequences. They were meant to help me keep them safe until the fates could figure out a way to close them permanently without damaging the world they'd created. If I couldn't keep them in check, couldn't keep them from being drawn upon then the heavens would fall. Reality would crumble. Yes I know it was all very Doctor Who'ish but to my knowledge Doctor Who wasn't real in this strange universe.

Prophecies were a funny thing. Because you never really knew what they would mean until they came too it. We were no longer in the eye, the storm would be upon us soon.

There was only one last piece of the puzzle. One unsolved mystery in this whole thing.

And that mystery, well we weren't there it was still to far off.

The ripples, the cracks, they were why we were in the quarter. Reality was bleeding through here and we needed to patch it up. So that the witches of the quarter couldn't keep drawing from it's powers. With that much raw energy you didn't need the rules.

Hecate didn't like it when witches didn't follow her rules.

He gave the three of us an incredoubles look, like he couldn't believe the audacity of three teenagers. To be fair if I was in his shoes I probably wouldn't be taking us very seriously either.

"You three are making a lot of accusation." There is a warning in his tone. A threat that none of us appreciate. It's the type of tone that makes demigods antsy.

You didn't want an antsy demigod. Let alone three. We were liable to react defensively. This could get messy really quick if Marcel didn't pick his next words carefully. I couldn't be held responsible for defending my friends.

"However, I will take a look into and form my own opinion on the matter." He leans into the chair easily, the hostility gone. We relaxed only slightly in our seats. Just in case.

"Great, we'll be in touch." I say carefully. Standing cautiously and holding out a hand to the vampire. He levels with me, expression casual but hard to read.

"Two nights from now I'll be throwing a party, come and I'll give you my answer then." I nod for us, because Ezra looked like he wanted to say something pity and Ella could go either way.

This was not a man I wanted as my enemy. I'd always liked Marcel's character. "I shouldn't tell you this but we're staying at the Bienville send someone you trust to show us the way to the party." He shakes his head at that smirking boyishly at me again.

"That simply won't do, while you are here you are guest of mine go to Windsor Court and ask for Mila tell her that I sent you." Ella looks like she wants to protest but I hold my hand to her silencing the refusal I know is about to slip from my friends mouth.

I knew there was a reason I liked Marcel.

"Thank you." And that's that.

There is a house in new orleans..

I was going to assume Marcel's party was a lot like what I'd seen from the show. So I wasn't surprised when we arrived to find it in full swing, just as loud and wild as they'd been. Actually it might have been louder. Once inside the compound I left Ella and Ezra to their own devices. I wanted to see the man of the hour. He's at the top of the banisters overlooking the packed courtyard. Observing his subjects, or something possessive like that.

"Your companions don't seem to like me very much." He states as I join him. I follow the direction of his eyes and true enough Ezra and Ella are looking in his direction glaring. Although in their defense they weren't glaring at him. That was honestly both of their perpetual resting faces.

"Don't take it personally. This isn't their type of thing, and they wouldn't let me come alone." I lean forward using the railing as a brace. Observing the mixed crowd bellow. Marcel raises a brow at the back of my head, at least I assume he did by the tone of his voice.

"From the looks of it you can take care of yourself princess." I look over my shoulder meeting his eyes, grinning at him.

"It's not for my benefit King." He shakes his head and then makes a motion for me to follow.

Marcel leads us away from the crowd into the manor. Not that I was going to complain, I'd never much been a fan of huge parties. "I did some research on what we discussed." He states leading me into a large parlor with a grand piano situated in the middle of the room. I gave him a curious look.

They call the rising sun...

"What did you find?" I wonder taking a step around him and walking over to the piano. My fingers itching to play. Carefully I ran a hand over the lid. Watching him from the corner of my eye, never letting my guard down least he decide that we were no longer friends.

He walks over then taking a seat on the stool and gesturing for me to sit next to him. I do as instructed waiting for him to gather his thoughts, my fingers find their way to the keys. They dance across the keys delicately. The melody builds quietly. Marcel's eyes are on me, I can feel the intensity of his stare as he watches.

"You were right." He states and I hum in response. Of course I was right, I usually was. When you knew what was meant to happen there wasn't many opportunities to be wrong.

"But you already knew that you would be. I did some research on you daughter of the sea." I smirk into the keys, barely sparing him a glance.

"What did you discover King?" I ask, the notes building slowly, their pace building up. His fingers settle at the other end joining in tune.

"They're afraid of you." He states as if it's the most simple of discoveries, as if it isn't as dark and discontenting as it sounds.

"They should be." I muse, letting my fingers still on the keys abruptly. He gives me this look. As if he finds it hard to believe. As if he doesn't want to believe it.

It's been the ruin of many a poor boy..

"Why?" He finally says after a moment, and I resume the light stroke of keys. Humming the tune to myself.

I don't answer him immediately, where would the fun be if I did? Marcel watches me, waiting for my explanation. So I take my time, building slowly back into the song, pacing myself. He doesn't grow volatile like one would assume or expect instead he seems to be in the mood to play my games.

"Mortals fear what they cannot explain, witches fear what they cannot reach, the gods, well they fear what they cannot control. I just happen to fall into all of those categories." I do tell him after I have finished playing out the last note of the song.

Carefully I stand leaving him on the bench, I walk around the grand running my hand on the sleek black top. Looking over my shoulder to the vampire, he appears thoughtful. I offer him a smile.

"Does my answer satisfy you King?" Marcel takes a deep breath, considering his options most likely. Then he slowly nods his head.

"I have a feeling you and I will become great friends princess." I just smirk at his answer.

Great friends indeed.

And god, I know I'm one…

x

Marcel watches her carefully as she walked ahead of him. The moon reflecting off the river, their reflections barely cast on the dark depths. It was hard to believe looking at the small seemingly human girl before him that she was something to be feared. That the mere mention of her name brought about fear among the witches in the quarter.

She appeared so normal.

But when he looked at her he could see it. So clear, so unmistakable, deep in her eyes resonating from the pits of her soul. The loss, darkness, pain. Trying to take over, to win control he could see how she fought it, never one to lose. Marcel could relate to that.

"What will you do now Marcel"? She questions, never looking at him eyes cast over the mississippi clouded and full of thought.

He considered her question carefully. What was he planning on doing? It was a good question, one he hadn't yet figured out. One thing for certain, however, he knew that she wasn't an enemy he wanted to make.

Marcel simply smirks at her. "Be a king." Adriana stops glancing at him over her shoulder, she grins wickedly in response.

"Good."

XOXOX

Thank you so much for reading this chapter, I know that it is a lot to digest and to take in please let me know what you think!

I hope that you enjoyed reading it!

Sincerely, La'Rae