I was just feeling this chapter, so I decided to write it before going back to Children. Well, that and I figured I would be merciful and wouldn't keep the suspense any longer. I have posted my new fic, More Than Myself, if you want to go check that out. That's all for now.
Chapter 9
October turned out to be a bad month for Percy. Looking back on it, he had to wonder if he had not hurt every inch of his body in some way over the course of the month. It had started by stubbing his toe one morning as he got out of the shower, which had led to him tripping and falling into the bathroom door. After a black cat had crossed his path one afternoon and he nearly got hit on the head by a tree branch, Percy was starting to wonder if there was any truth to superstitions.
But it was not just him. No, quite a few people in town seemed to be sharing in his month of misfortune. Several kids at school had to go to the doctor, and some even to the hospital. Percy had recognized one of the kids—who had broken his leg falling down the stairs at school—as the boy that had dumped eggs on Nico's head two months ago. Percy did not feel sorry for him.
Even Mrs. Dodds had to be taken to the doctor after, as quoted by Kinzie, "explosive diarrhea in the middle of church one morning". However, the town did not seem to brush it off as easily as Percy. Several kids, including Luke and Jason, had ended up getting into fights at school. Beckendorf had nearly broken a kid's arm after he had slammed Leo into a locker.
And today was no different, as he tripped down the stairs on the way to his car. The boy hissed as he felt a sharp burning sensation explode from his knee. Cursing quietly, Percy stumbled to his car and climbed in before inspecting his knee. There was definitely a red mark there, but thankfully no blood. Seriously, who had he pissed off in a past life? This was just ridiculous.
Percy spotted a mother carrying her child from a nearby apartment, the child dressed as a cowboy. Today was Halloween, which made Percy uneasy. Halloween meant pranks and mischief, which normally he loved, but it only made him nervous in this town. He wondered if Nico and the others would even try to come to school today, what with all the hostility towards them this month and the holiday.
It seemed they all did feel adventurous today, as Percy walked into the lunchroom and found Luke and the others sitting at their usual table, waiting for classes to begin for the day. Percy sat down across from Luke, who had his feet kicked up on the table in front of Nico. The pale boy shot the blond a dirty look as he attempted to read Hamlet, which was probably for class. Percy had just finished The Crucible for Ms. Hestia's class, and was waiting to get back the paper he wrote for it today.
Percy quickly found himself staring at Nico, who had dressed up for the holiday. It seemed he was going for a blatant statement on what the town thought of all of them with his devil costume. It was kind of hot, Percy thought. The boy had on tight, black leather jeans and a blood red shirt with the sleeves cut off. There was even a tear across the chest, revealing a hint of the boy's pale skin. It also looked like he was wearing mascara, judging by the dark lines around his red eyes. Yes, red. The boy had also put in some red contact lenses, which was even more hot. Red devil horns and a spiked tail finished off the boy's attire.
"May I help you?" Nico mumbled, flipping the page of his book and not even bothering to look up to meet Percy's gaze.
Percy coughed and looked down at the table, sliding his finger across the surface in a circular pattern. "Just admiring your current attire. I like the statement."
The corner of Nico's lips tilted up as his enticing eyes scanned his current page. Percy was not going to be having an easy time in class today. Nico finally closed his book and leaned forward, resting his arms on Luke's legs. "I see you didn't dress for the holiday," Nico commented.
Percy chuckled and looked down at himself. "Left all my old costumes back in California, and been a little preoccupied to go looking for a new one."
Luke chuckled and glanced at Nico, his eyes shining in amusement. "You've had some pretty bad luck there, Perce." Nico shot him a dirty look for that comment.
"You look like shit," came Drew's loving comment for the day. She currently was applying a coat of paint to her already perfect nails.
Ignoring her, Percy turned back to the others. "So, got any plans for the holiday?"
Luke opened his mouth to answer, but Jason beat him to it. "Yes," he replied simply. The blond chewed on a biscuit, a dry look in his eyes as he stared across the table at Percy. Luke frowned down at the blond, but Jason's stare went unchallenged by Luke.
It was something that Percy had been seeing as of late. Jason's say in what went on in their group seemed to be final. At first, Percy had thought Luke was the one that had been more in charge, but whenever the two blonds butted heads, Jason always won the argument without much resistance.
Not that things did not go on behind the blond's back. Nico had come over last week to drop off a few books, against Jason's wishes. "He's just being dumb," Nico had said. "He's not very trusting, gets it from his father. But we don't have to tell him about my visit, now do we?"
And, as Percy was seeing again, Jason's tension when it came to Percy had gotten worse as the month had gone on. Percy was not sure what had happened, but after seeing Nico and Jason ignoring each other last week, the green-eyed boy could tell the two were at odds about something. Annabeth had told him that the two had gotten into a very verbal argument the night before, which ended in Jason getting kicked out of Nico's house. Jason had also come to school with a red mark on his cheek that same day.
Jason frowned down at the rest of his breakfast, stealing a glance over to Nico, who tossed the blond a dry look before returning to his book. Apparently, the two were still not on good terms.
"Hey, Percy," Kinzie said as she stopped at their table, making sure to stick close to where Percy sat. "So, um, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the town's haunted house with me tonight? It'll be a lot of fun."
"Um, maybe." Percy chewed on his lip, glancing at the others at his table. Well, it was not like they were going to be doing anything that involved him. "I mean, I guess I could."
Kinzie beamed at him, bouncing on her heels. "Great! I'll swing by after dinner to pick you up." She turned on her heels and hurried off.
Percy turned around in his seat to find a lot of unpleasant looks being shot in his direction. Annabeth and Luke were mildly indifferent, but the rest did not seem very pleased with his decision. Even Nico had stopped in his reading to give Kinzie a dirty look as she walked away. After she was gone, Nico's red eyes narrowed at Percy.
Medea snorted. "That'll be fun for for him, I'm sure."
The bell rang before Percy could defend himself. He hung his head with a groan as the table all left him. Why was it so hard to understand that he just wanted to felt like he belonged? Somewhere, anywhere.
Once he was seated in his first class, Percy turned to Annabeth and Malcolm. "So, um, you guys don't want to go to that haunted house, do you?"
Annabeth snorted, unpacking her Calculus book. "I'm sure that would go over well."
"That's an understatement," Malcolm mumbled.
The blonde girl shook her head in amusement. "I think we'll pass. And, as Jason said, we have plans for tonight."
"Oh." Percy tried to hide his disappointment, but was sure he did not pull it off very well. If he sucked at one thing, it was hiding when he was depressed. "All right, well, I guess I'll just let you know how it goes."
Annabeth gave him a lopsided smile right before Mrs. Nakamura cleared her throat to begin class. Percy had the feeling that this was going to be a long day.
And how right he was. Calculus had dragged on forever, and Nemesis had no problem assigning five pages of homework to complete by tomorrow. The woman had to have a sadistic side, Percy decided as he walked to Home Economics.
In the hallway, Percy came to a stop when he spotted two familiar heads, one black and the other blond. Jason closed his locker rather harshly, glaring at Nico, who was talking at him rather animatedly, his face slightly red. Jason stumbled back when Nico shoved a finger into the blond's chest. Percy slipped closer.
"I said, no," Jason growled.
"You're being ridiculous."
"You and I had been on the same page, so what happened?" Jason crossed his arms.
Nico glared back at the blond. "That depends on when you mean. Recently or overall?"
Jason narrowed his eyes. "At least I didn't cheat on you," he hissed. Nico still, slightly stunned. Jason winced. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"It's fine," Nico whispered, rubbing his arm. "Just lighten up on him, okay?"
Jason frowned at that. "But I already said-"
Nico interrupted him again. "And you can say you changed your mind, the others won't question your judgment."
Jason leaned against his locker, still frowning. The blond seemed to be considering what Nico said. "Fine, but only because you asked. I'm still not sure how I feel about him." The blond's mood visibly relaxed when Nico smiled. "Still, you can't go tonight. I've already had everything set up, and I would like everyone to be there tonight." Nico quirked a brow at him. Jason waved him off. "Aside from our parents, they have their own engagements tonight."
Nico patted Jason's cheek with a smirk. "Thank you. I'll call you later."
When Nico had turned around, Jason smiled brightly. He sighed and zipped his backpack before heading in the opposite direction. Percy would never come to like how the hallway spread like the Red Sea for any of them as they walked.
It was not until Percy was actually in class with Nico that he truly realized how tight the boy's pants were. As Nico leaned forward to straighten out their table, Percy could not help but to lean back and admire the view. He was not much for religion, but it should be considered a sin for Nico to wear those things.
Nico cleared his throat. Percy quickly raised his eyes, his cheeks flaring up. Nico quirked a brow at him. "Can I help you, or do I need to let the teacher that you had to run to the bathroom to take care of some things?" The boy tapped his fingers on their table as he waited for Percy's response.
The green-eyed boy coughed, not meeting Nico's gaze. "Um, no, that's all right. I'm good."
Nico slowly nodded. "Uh-huh. Well, I could always send you some pics later without these pants on."
Percy's eyes widened. "Really?" He asked, probably slightly too excitedly.
Nico rolled his eyes. "No, you moron. I find your chances of seeing me without clothes slightly abysmal."
"Only slightly?" Percy grinned. "I'll take those odds."
Nico rolled his eyes again as he went back to setting up their table, though a small smile now graced his lips. "You are insufferable," he mumbled.
Class shortly after that, though if the teacher went over anything new, Percy could not say. For some odd reason, it was like there was a gravitational pull on his eyes towards Nico's ass. Though, if Nico noticed again, the boy did not comment on it or make Percy focus. Which was fine by Percy, because he was enjoying the view.
When class was finished and the two partners were cleaning up their station, they found themselves with a very unwelcome guest. "So," Khione began, "I couldn't help but overhearing you two at the beginning of class." The girl addressed both of them, but primarily stared at Nico with a distasteful glare. "I suppose it really is true that you turned yet another boy gay. What, did you charm him?"
Nico did not let the girl slow him down in cleaning up their table. "For your information, you mindless twit, I did not turn Luke gay. Contrary to popular belief, we are not dating. Not that it would matter to any of you, since you wouldn't date him either way, simply because of who he is."
The girl scoffed. "Now that's just unfair. As we said about Apollo before he graduated, all you have to do is confess your sins and come into the Lord's loving embrace. But you and the rest of your lot are too far into your sin to ever be able to get redemption."
"If by redemption, you mean hanging us from the nearest tree," Nico mumbled. Khione glared at him. "There's nothing going on between Percy or myself, either."
Khione flipped her hair over her shoulder, finally turning to face Percy. "It's not too late for you, though, Percy. We all talked it over, and we really do hope you decide to come to church. These people," she said, motioning to Nico, "are only going to lead you to Satan."
Percy had been packing up his bag while he listened to the two bicker. "Well then, hail Satan," he chuckled. When Khione did not look amused, he shrugged. "I don't particularly believe in any higher deity, whether it be good or evil. But I do think you're being unreasonable with people that haven't done anything to you that you haven't deserved."
Khione looked taken aback. She closed her mouth and straightened her shoulder. "You better be thankful I haven't told Kinzie about your so called 'bisexuality'."
The taller of the two boys simply shrugged. "And? Kinzie and I are just friends."
"Does she know that?" Khione asked, tapping her nails against the table. "But, then again, I'm sure it's just a phase. You should come pray about it in church."
"No thanks," Percy said dully. "After coming here, I find myself reminded at why Christians have such a bad rep these days. Because people like you don't focus on what the real message Jesus talked about was. Love."
There was a dark look in Khione's eyes as she glared up at Percy. "Well, maybe I was wrong about you. Perhaps there is no saving your soul from hellfire." She sneered as she turned to leave. "Have fun tonight, and I'll be having a word with Kinzie by this time tomorrow."
"Don't care," Percy mumbled as the girl disappeared out the door.
Nico blinked at him. "I really don't think I'll ever understand you," the boy muttered. Percy tilted his head to the side. "You're just," Nico motioned to all of Percy, "you. You're attractive...stop smiling, you asshole." He sighed. "You're attractive, you're not intolerant, you put up with these people, you talk to us, and you're smarter than you look."
Percy frowned. "Hey!"
Nico rolled his eyes. "My point is, I figured you'd want to fit in with the other kids around here, not go on a social suicide mission to hangout with us."
Percy smiled and slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Well, maybe I think you guys are the 'cool kids'." He gave Nico a small wave before leaving the boy standing there, dumfounded.
Everything seemed fine, for the most part, until lunch came around. Percy did not think much about it at the time, but perhaps he really should have. It was not until Bianca brought it up that he got slightly worried. The girl put down her fork and looked over to Luke. "Have you seen Nico?" She asked.
The blond's brow knitted together and he pursed his lips. "I figured he was in the library, or something." Jason, Luke, Thalia, and Bianca were out of their seats in the next instant. "We'll be right back," Luke told the table.
Medea sighed and sat down her drink. She stood up and slid her black sleeves up her arms. "I'll be back as well," she muttered.
Without being addressed to go help look, Percy stood up and jogged after Medea. "You think he's in trouble?"
Now, Percy had not talked much with Medea since he moved into town. The few times he did, he was usually met by blank stares and rude comments. He was beginning to think that it ran in their family. But this time, the girl simply grunted at him, picking up the pace to catch up to the other four.
Luke threw open the door to the boys' restroom, instantly being greeted by shouts from within. The blond's face heated up from anger and his fists clenched at his sides. Before Thalia could get a hold on the blond, Luke had barged into the restroom.
"Hey! What the fuck is this?" Came Luke's angry voice.
Thalia cringed from the sheer sound of Luke's temper. Rolling her eyes, Medea shoved past the girl and went in after the blond. "What the hell have you done to my brother?" She shouted. Percy and the others were inside the restroom in the next second.
Nico was on the floor, a hand to his nose to try and stop the blood from gushing out. There was a dark bruise on the boy's forehead, though Percy could only imagine how the bullies had given it to the boy. Bianca was at her brother's side before Percy could blink, checking him over. She held onto him, shielding him from any further abuse that might come his way.
Not that the bullies were in any position to really inflict further injury on Nico. Luke had tossed one boy into a stall, where Medea was currently flushing his head in the toilet. And with a swift punch to the jaw, Luke sent another boy—who looked like he could be on the football team—to the floor with his own bloody nose.
Jason had a guy that Percy recognized from the baseball team pinned against the wall. Zethes was his name, if Percy remembered correctly. It did not look like the blond was going to do much else, until Jason drew back and sent his fist into the boy's ribs. Zethes fell to the floor, wheezing for breath and holding his sides.
Thalia narrowed her eyes at the last of the boys, who looked like he might make a run for it. She cracked her knuckles. "Don't even think about it."
But he did, and Percy and Thalia grabbed him as he ran past. Percy jerked him loose of Thalia and slammed the boy down hard on the tile floor, knocking the breath out of the large boy. Glaring down at the boy, Thalia pressed her foot to his neck.
Rubbing his knuckles, Luke crouched down next to Bianca and Nico. "Is he okay?" The blond whispered.
Bianca did not look up from Nico. "I think so. His nose isn't broken, thankfully." She frowned and attempted to lift her brother's shirt, who quickly shoved her hand away.
"I'm fine," Nico muttered. He tried to stand to his feet, but did get very far in that.
Just then, the door flew open and in came Ms. Hestia. "What is going on in here?" She demanded.
"Nothing that we couldn't handle," Medea answered, swiping a thumb across her lips.
The teacher did not seem amused. "Does anyone have a real answer for me?"
One of the boys beat the others to it. "They dragged us in here to beat us up."
"Yeah, right," Thalia muttered. The girl went to try and punch the guy, but Hestia caught her arm. "Sorry."
Ms. Hestia sighed. "Jake, I somehow doubt that's what happened. Now, does anyone want to try again." Her eyes fell to Nico. "Nico? Would you like to tell me?"
The boy pulled his hand away from his nose, inspecting the blood he found on his hand. "Not really, ma'am."
"We found these guys in here bullying Nico," Percy offered. Nico glared at him.
The teacher nodded. "I see." She motioned to Nico. "Percy, would you help Bianca get him to the principal's office. Get Mrs. Millie to call his stepmother to pick him up." She pointed to the others in the room. "As for the rest of you, you're going to come with me to see Chiron."
After they were gone, Percy put Nico's arm around his shoulders to help Bianca carry Nico to the office. Nico glared at him still. "Why'd you have to say anything?"
"Because they didn't deserve to get away with it, or have it pinned on you." Percy gave the boy a look that let Nico know he wasn't going to argue about this. Miraculously, it worked.
"Thank you," Bianca whispered. Nico narrowed his eyes at her, but Bianca ignored him. "You didn't have to get involved."
Percy shook his head. "It wasn't any trouble." He frowned. "But why the principal's office? Why not the nurse?"
Bianca chuckled. "Mrs. Mellie is technically the school's nurse. She's qualified, if you doubt her capabilities." She shrugged. "Apollo and Artemis's mother used to be the school nurse, but she passed away back when I was still pretty young. Not that the town liked it very much. The school board tried to have her removed, but Chiron would not let it stand. He's a breath of fresh air in this nightmare of a town."
The rest of the trip down the hall was rather quiet. Percy kept looking over at Nico, who was still holding his nose. It did not make him happy, seeing the boy like this, but the most he could do was already done. Unless he wanted to catch Zethes after practice, but that would probably get Percy in trouble. And since it seemed like none of the people helping Nico were getting in trouble, Percy felt it best to leave it alone for now.
Percy held the door open to the school's office and Bianca helped her brother inside. Hestia must have just gotten the others to the office, as the door was closed just as they entered. Mrs. Mellie looked up from her desk, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of Nico.
"Oh my, I suppose this is the result of the fight they were just talking about," she said as she stood to her feet and bounced over to a small sink they had in the office. Wetting a rag, she came to stand in front of Nico. The boy in the chair let her lift his head and wipe away the blood that had dripped down to his lips and chin.
While this was going on, Bianca had already tasked herself with picking up the phone they kept on the edge of the counter for student use. Percy could hear her talking to someone, but he kept his attention on Nico. His eyes watched as the secretary brushed the wet cloth against the boy's lips, removing all traces of blood from Nico's pale lips. When he looked up slightly, Percy found Nico watching him as the woman tended to his injuries. Neither boy said anything, nor did Nico even bother to roll his eyes. He just let Percy stand there, staring at him.
Bianca hung up the phone just as Mrs. Mellie was finishing cleaning Nico's face up and checking his bruises. Unlike with Bianca, Nico let the woman inspect his chest. Percy winced when he saw a dark circular bruise just below the boy's ribs.
Bianca sat down next to her brother. "How is he?"
Mrs. Mellie gathered her things from where she had put them down and moved back over to her desk to give the trio some room. In was always nice to seem someone nice in this town, without the fear and paranoia. But, then again, Percy did not think it was possible for Mrs. Mellie to have a single mean bone in her body, she was just so nice. "He'll be fine," the woman finally announced. "His bruises will heal after a few days, and nothing was broken."
Bianca nodded and turned to look at her brother. "Persephone will be here shortly to pick you up," she said, brushing a few strands of hair out of her brother's face. "I can stay if you want, and wait for her to get here."
Nico shook his head. "No, you should get back to lunch."
"But-"
"I'll stay with him."
Both di Angelo siblings stared up at Percy. The boy fidgeted under their dark stares. Even when they weren't angry, those eyes could pierce like knives. Bianca seemed to contemplate this, turning to her brother. Nico glared at her.
Percy shrugged. "I don't mind, really."
Nico finally sighed. "Sure, whatever."
Percy smiled and took a seat on the other side of the di Angelo boy. Bianca gave Percy a smile before kissing her brother's head and standing up. "Thanks, Percy." She pointed a finger to her brother. "Behave yourself, and tell Persephone to text me if she needs me."
"I'm sure we can manage," Nico grumbled.
When Bianca was gone, Percy let his eyes fall on the boy next to him. "If you're okay, what would you need help with?"
Nico snapped his head in Percy's direction, narrowing his eyes. With those red contacts, Percy was not sure if he should be intimidated or aroused. At the moment, he felt more the latter. "Not with me, something else," Nico finally replied. "I guess since I'm being picked up, I'll be helping our parents set up for tonight."
Nico rubbed at his neck, which finally drew Percy's attention to another injury. There was a small cut there. By the looks of it, Nico's necklace had either cut him during his scuffle with the bullies, or the bullies had jerked the chain before Luke had interrupted them.
Percy motioned to the boy's chest. "I like your necklace, by the way."
Nico looked down at his chest and then back up at Percy. "Thanks," he mumbled. "Family heirloom, been in my family for years."
"I take it the same applies to everyone else and their families?"
Nico nodded, squeezing the chain. "Just a family crest, no big deal, like you find in a lot of old families." The boy glanced over to Mrs. Millie to see if she was paying attention. She wasn't.
Percy let out a small chuckle, scooting a little closer to Nico. "A skull? Isn't that a little morbid?"
Nico gave Percy a serious look, some of his hair falling into his face. "Do you have a problem with it?"
The green-eyed boy quickly pursed his lips and shook his head. "Nope, not me. I like it." Nico eyed him funny. "It looks good on you."
They fell into a slightly awkward silence after that. A heavy tension had settled between them, and Percy had to wonder if he had crossed a line. He did not mean it to sound like he was insulting Nico's family, because he really wasn't. He had just never really seen a family crest like the one Nico had.
The bell to signal the end of lunch rang out through the school building a little over fifteen minutes later. Nico was staring at the clock by this point, tapping his fingers against his leg. Chiron had dismissed Luke and the others almost five minutes ago, which all of the bullies had taken the opportunity to glare at Nico. Zethes had shot Percy a dirty look before leaving, and Percy figured he'd be hearing about this before or after practice today.
"You need to get to class," Nico mumbled, not taking his eyes off the clock.
Percy shook his head. "I'm fine."
Nico rolled his eyes just as the door to the office opened. The woman that had picked Hazel up before came inside, taking her sunglasses off of her beautiful eyes, which Percy could not quite decide what color they were. Her skin was pale, even though she looked like someone who spent most of her time outside working the garden. And her long, black hair flowed behind her, curling at the tips.
Nico frowned when she looked down at him, her fingers still resting on her sunglasses from when she put them on her head. "Well, I suppose it could have been worse," came her alluring voice. She held out a hand, tilting Nico's chin up. She let out a breath. "We'll see if we can't clean that up better before your father sees."
Just then, Chiron's door opened and the principal stepped out into the office. "Ah, Mrs. di Angelo." The man stood up straight, which was very tall, Percy might add. "The bullies which did this to your son have already been suspended and will be tasked with cleaning the restrooms after school for a week upon their return."
The woman smiled and it was like a ray of sunshine was cast into the room. "Thank you, Chiron." She patted Nico on the head after the boy stood up. "I suppose I'll need to get this one home then."
Chiron gave her a nod, bowing slightly. "Have a good day then."
When Persephone led Nico from the office, Percy followed. "I always liked that man," Persephone said, "so polite." She then noticed Percy and blinked. "Oh, hello. You must be the new kid in town that has been all the talk." She smiled and held out her hand. "Persephone di Angelo."
Percy shook her hand, his head feeling light. She was really pretty. Nico glared over at him, and Percy got the feeling that he was going to hear a comment later about how Percy better not hit on his stepmother. Not that Percy would. No, he had his sights on the woman's stepson already.
"Percy Jackson," he finally managed to reply.
She smiled and squeezed Nico's arm. "Well, I've already been hearing some about you from this one, my mother, and even my husband. But I've yet to meet you myself." She smiled and readjusted her sunglasses back onto her face. "Nico was right, you are quite handsome."
Nico stiffened under her touch, his face turning red. "Persephone!"
The woman waved him off. "Now then," she continued, "what had you in the office? I expected Bianca or Luke to be waiting with him."
"Ah." Percy rubbed the back of his head. "I told Bianca she could get back to lunch, since she didn't really get to finish her food. I didn't mind waiting with Nico."
One of her finely manicured nails was pointed in Percy's direction. "Luke informed me that you stood up for Nico during the festival, and I can only assume you got involved on Nico's behalf today." Nico glared up at his stepmother, already predicting what was about to come out of her mouth. "Why don't you come over and have dinner with us soon? Mother already wanted to cook you another meal, so we could just kill two birds with one stone."
Nico's glare turned upon Percy. Seeing this, the green-eyed boy smirked back at the pale boy. "I would be honored." Persephone beamed at him and Nico only glared more. "I'll let Nico know when I am free."
The woman clapped her hands together. "Wonderful! I shall let everyone know that we'll be expecting you in the nearby future."
Percy smiled and waved as Persephone dragged a glaring Nico out of the school building. The boy chuckled when he saw Nico start to flail his arms in Persephone's direction. Well then, that had been a little unexpected.
Originally, Percy had wondered if there was conflict with Persephone and the rest of Nico's house, but that did not seem to be the case. Perhaps Nico did not get along with his father then? Whatever the case, Percy was still in the dark about why Nico did not like being at home, or the unexplained bruises that were on Nico's back.
That was a haunted house?
Percy wanted to voice his disappointment, but the others seemed to be in a good mood, so he did not say anything. However, he was sure his aunt's underwear drawer was scarier than that excuse for a haunted house.
Not surprisingly, the event was primarily just a way for the town to scare its children of the devil. Witches, demons, and fire showcased most of the inside of the old house that was being used for the event, which thankfully was not very big. Percy figured he would have an easier time being scared watching My Little Pony than what that put him through. He had found himself bored through most of it.
Though, it did not seem like Kinzie or the others were particularly scared either, just laughing mostly.
Percy threw on a smile as the group walked to Reyna's car. It seemed Khione had yet to talk to Kinzie, as the girl seemed to still be on good terms with him. "So," Kinzie said, clinging onto Percy's arm, "did you have fun?"
"Yep," Percy lied. No reason to spoil their good mood, he supposed. Not like it would do any good either; the town was set in their prejudices.
Percy slipped his hands into his pockets, partly trying to figure out a nice way of getting Kinzie off his arm without hurting her feelings. At least she was not as bad as most people in this town. Obviously not as nice as she could be, but what could Percy expect from someone who got a little brainwashed by the rest of the town?
Reyna popped a jolly rancher in her mouth from the bag of candy she and everyone else that went in the haunted house got at the end. "So, our parents are busy tonight, if you guys want to come over and watch some horror movies."
Percy got a bad feeling about things when Kinzie looked up at him with a smile. "You want to go?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, um, no, I think I'll pass. I need to get caught up on some homework. Mrs. Nakamura was not very kind today."
Kinzie pouted up at him. "Aw, come on, just for a little while?"
Something caught Percy's eye. He frowned and looked at the night sky in the distance. In the distance was the light of a fire rising up over the woods. "What's that?"
The others turned and followed his gaze. Octavian scuffed his shoe on the ground. "Probably some kids from school trying to scare each other in the woods." He paused for a moment to open the back seat of Reyna's car. "Or the witches doing one of their rituals."
Figures, Percy thought, they'd find a way to bring this back to Luke and the others. However, if it was whatever Jason was talking about doing, then Percy figured it was probably more entertaining than this. Though, Percy had also not been invited, so it was not like he could just show up. Besides, what if it was not them?
Percy opened the door for Kinzie, who slid in. Once Percy sat beside of her, she looked to him again. "So, do you think you can spare an hour or two for a movie?"
Percy looked down at his phone. "No, I think I'll have to pass tonight."
Just because he did not get invited, did not mean he could not call and see if he could change that.
The others bid him goodnight once he was back at his apartment. Kinzie tried one more time to get him to join them, but Percy found himself looking at the fire in the distance again. "No, perhaps next time," he told her, which still got him a frown in return.
By the time he got into his apartment, his phone was already dialing Luke's number. The green-eyed boy paced around his small living room as it rang. When no answer came, Percy fell on his couch with a groan.
After trying Annabeth, Beckendorf, Leo, Thalia, and Nico, Percy finally gave up. Did none of them have their phones on them? Percy stared at his phone with a frown. It was half past ten, and he found himself with absolutely nothing to do. Maybe he should have gone to watch the horror movie. His thumb hovered over Kinzie's name in his phone book.
Deciding against it, Percy played video games for nearly an hour, until he wound up falling asleep on the couch. As soon as his eyes shut and his head hit the cushion, his world turned black and smoked filled his vision. His body was torn away, like he was an invisible force staring into the abyss.
Percy found himself staring at a campfire in the middle of the woods. As the smoke evaporated, he found four girls—all rather young—dancing around the fire. "Witches! Witches! Witches!" They chanted happily, laughing as they skipped and danced.
There was no telling how old each of them were, but the youngest could barely pass for ten. The oldest probably was around Percy's age, if not a year or two younger. They continued to dance as they let their hair down.
A gust of wind blew the fire out, which scared the girls. However, their night of fright was far from over.
"So," came a male voice from the darkness, "we hear you girls know a thing or two about witches." The 's' was dragged out like the hiss of a snake.
"Wh-who's there?" The oldest girl asked cautiously.
The fire flickered back to its full force and the girls found themselves surrounded by thirteen teenagers, both male and female. But at the center were three that Percy had seen before: Kronos, Uranus, and the boy that reminded him of Nico.
The eldest girl peered forward. "Kronos? Is that you?" She seemed to relaxed. "You nearly gave us a fright."
Kronos did not seem as amused. In fact, there was a dark glint in his eyes as he stared at the girls like some hungry predator. "You four have become quite something in town." He finally smiled, stepping a few feet closer to the girls. "Mercy, tell me, doth thou think I am a witch?"
The eldest girl gave a nervous laugh. "Why of course not, don't be silly."
One of the girls, a brunette, stepped forward from behind Kronos. "But you four pointed all those finger. All of those people were witches?"
The boy that looked like Nico nodded. "Surely Venus is right. But perhaps Salem is just infected with witches," he said. The brunette named Venus smirked at him.
Mercy just laughed again. "'Tis but a game, don't be silly. All of those people hath wronged us."
Kronos slowly nodded. Finally reaching out, he ran the back of his hand down Mercy's cheek. "I see. So, what thou art saying is that thou are having this town go on a witch hunt for your own amusement?" Mercy and the other three girls remained silent, no longer laughing. "I would think that real witches might not like that, as thou hast now created a fear in the town."
Mercy shifted. "Kronos, I-"
Mercy's mouth clamped shut and her skin shifted and moved. Under her skin, her blood vessels became more apparent. Kronos's eyes turned from a near brown into pure gold. "Now, all of you, open your mouths."
One by one, all four of the girls fell to their knees and opened their mouths. Tears streamed down their faces as their hands indicated they were struggling to move, but it was like an invisible rope had been tied around them.
Kronos snapped his fingers and Venus, the boy that looked like Nico, Uranus, and another boy stepped forward. In each of their hands was a long snake. The last boy handed his snake to Kronos. Kronos smiled and ran his finger across the snake's head.
"Thank you, Mercury," Kronos said to the boy, who smirked and fell back with the others.
The boy that looked like Nico grabbed the youngest girl by the throat and put the head of the snake to her mouth. With eyes wide with fear, the girl helplessly watched as the snake slid down her throat until the tip of the tail vanished into her mouth.
Venus and Uranus repeated the same process, the girls letting out nearly silent screams as the snakes slithered down their throats. But when it came to Kronos, he crouched down in front of Mercy. Tears streamed down her face and Kronos frowned.
With a snap of his fingers, Mercy fell forward and sobbed. "Why? Why are you doing this?"
"You wanted to play with witches, didn't you?" A sinister smirk spread across Kronos's lips. "You've started something that we cannot let just run rampant without having some control over the situation." He reached out and grabbed her throat. Mercy's head snapped back and her mouth fell open. "You see, we'll be running these witch trials now, Mercy. We'll decide who dies. And the funny thing is, not a single witch is going to end up dying."
And with that, Kronos held the snake up to Mercy's face. The snake reared back and opened its mouth, showing off its large teeth. With a hiss, the snake dove into Mercy's mouth, letting its tail brush against the corner of the girl's lips as it disappeared down her throat.
Kronos stood up and his eyes returned to normal. "Mercy?" He called out to the girl, who now had a blank look. "I need you and your friends to accuse the servant Tituba. The town wants a witch, and they can have what they want to believe is one."
"Yes, of course," Mercy replied before her and her friends stood to their feet and walked off into the woods.
Kronos watched them leave. Uranus came to stand beside him, his eyes also watching the girls. "Tituba? Why her?"
Kronos shrugged. "She wants to dabble in magic, so let them believe she is an actual witch. The world will never actually know she is not truly a witch and doubt can be cast upon her master's house." His dark gaze finally looked upon Uranus. "Mother wants the town to burn itself to the ground for what they did to father, and I aim to see her wish fulfilled."
The others all nodded and started heading into the woods. Kronos turned to the one that looked like Nico, who was crouching by the fire. With a soft blow of the boy's lips, the fire instantly died. In the darkness, the boy smiled at Kronos.
"And the rest?"
Kronos remained still, his face uncertain in the darkness. "She won't be able to breathe a word if she's dead. Just keep her quiet until the time comes."
There was a silence from the other boy. When he shifted, he brushed past Kronos. "Your mother said-"
"Do you not trust me?" Kronos asked, turning his head to look at the other boy. The brown-eyed boy remained silent and disappeared into the woods. "Tartarus!" Kronos shouted after him.
Percy jerked up, his breathing beyond ragged. Sweat covered his face, his arms, and his chest. And he only became more alarmed when he found himself in the middle of the woods. Leaves stuck to his hand as he stumbled onto his feet. Percy spun around several times, trying to figure out where he was. He could barely see anything, let alone decipher a direction.
"That dream," Percy whispered.
He clutched his head and knelt down on his haunches. That name, that was the name from that tombstone back in the graveyard. How did he get here all the way from Salem? Before, Percy had just figured they were dreams, but now he was not as certain. Tartarus di Angelo had been the name on the tombstone Percy had tripped over the night he had dinner at Luke's house.
So, how was it he was dreaming about a real person from the past?
There was no way this was even possible, Percy kept repeating in his head. Kronos and Tartarus, they were supposed to be just dreams, not real people. Or maybe it was just a coincidence, Percy's mind supplied. There was no way he could have really dreamt about one of Nico's ancestors. It had to be just a coincidence that the two had the same name. And it was not like Percy had heard the name 'di Angelo' in there.
Still, Percy found himself in a state of panic. This was too weird for him. Because, it couldn't have been real. After what those kids had done to those girls, there was simply no way it could have been something that actually happened. There was no such thing as magic, there was no such thing as an actual witch.
Percy kept repeating this to himself as he stumbled his way through the woods. As he stared into the darkness, Percy could see a glimpse of a light breaking through the woods. Figuring it was his best option, Percy let his legs carry him in that direction.
"I really need to stop waking up in the woods," Percy muttered to himself.
As he got closer, Percy could start to make out some voices coming from the direction of the fire. Though, as he got closer, the words became less appealing, as he heard things like bones, draining blood, and tongues. He was starting to wonder if it was a good idea to even inspect the fire, but he also tried to keep in mind that it was Halloween and was probably just some kids goofing off.
Percy stepped behind a tree and peered into the small clearing where the fire was at. Relief flooded over him as he found Luke, Annabeth, and the others laughing and standing around the open fire. A goblet and knife was being passed around, the latter worrying Percy slightly. Especially when, after each drink, each of the kids would prick their finger and drop their blood into the fire. The fire hissed and grew larger with each donation the teenagers made.
Only ten wore robes, though. The only person that Percy found was missing was Nico. Jason took the knife and slashed across his palm. Running his finger across his palm, the blond smeared his blood on his face in a indistinguishable pattern.
When the blond was finished, he threw the dagger towards the fire, where it hovered and straightened so that the hilt was pointed upwards and the blade towards the ground. The blood from the others slowly rose from the flames and coated the blade, sliding along its metal surface and then soaking into a ruby gem that was embedded into the hilt.
"It is ready," Jason announced. "Now we just wait for the final piece."
Percy was not going to stick around to find out what that meant. Staggering slightly, the boy nearly fell on his ass. Nearly tripping three more times, Percy ran as fast as his legs would carry him until he collided with a hooded figure in the darkness.
"Ow," came a familiar voice.
The hood had fallen away upon impact, and Percy now found Nico laying on the ground beside him. The boy's eyes bulged as he staggered to his feet.
Nico jumped up. "Percy? What are you doing out here?" He hissed, but keeping his voice down.
"N-nothing!"
Nico narrowed his eyes. "What did you see?"
Percy's eyes reflected his panic. Without answering, the boy ran. He nearly tripped over a fallen tree, but Percy refused to let that stop him. This was impossible, he kept repeating in his head. He had to still be dreaming.
The green-eyed boy skidded to a halt when Nico appeared in front of him. The boy turned and ran straight into a tree. Clutching his face, Percy stumbled a few steps away. Nico let out a sigh. "Why are you running?" Nico asked.
Percy took off again. This was not possible, it just wasn't. There was no such thing as magic. This was the real world, not some book or movie, things like this did not happen. "Just wake up," Percy told himself as he ran.
Percy hunched over, trying to catch his breath. He stared into the darkness, seeing if Nico was still following him. There was no sign of the boy anywhere. But that did not mean Nico was not there. Percy had just witnessed him appear out of thin air!
The green-eyed boy's brow furrowed as he witnessed the shadows darken where he had just come from. His face paled as, once again, Nico emerged. The boy let out a sigh and slowly walked towards Percy.
"You want to let me talk about this?" Nico grumbled.
Normally, Percy would be happy to oblige. And it wasn't even that he was scared of Nico or the others—okay maybe scared a little. But that was because they could use fucking magic!
Percy tried to run, but ended up stumbling and falling face first into gravel. Bright lights hit his eyes and soon a car horn blared in his ears. Percy's heart stopped and he could see his life flash before his eyes as the car neared his head.
What happened next felt like a dream, but something Percy would never forget. Nico, now in the road, flung his arm in the air and sent the car sailing into a nearby tree. The car bounced off the tree and landed in a nearby ditch, the horn relentlessly blaring at the two boys.
Percy stared up at Nico with wide eyes. "You-you killed them!"
Nico glanced at the car, scratching his cheek. "That? No, they're just unconscious. They won't remember a thing." He shrugged. "They'll probably need to go to the hospital, but I wouldn't kill people for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time." He crouched down a few feet away from Percy. "Besides, they almost ran you over. A simple 'thank you' would suffice."
"You-" Percy pointed his finger at the calm boy. "You lied to me!"
Nico frowned at him. "Did not!" The brown-eyed boy tapped his lips. "What did I not lie about?"
Percy jumped to his feet, not letting his eyes off Nico. "You told me you weren't a witch!"
"Oh." Nico still seemed relaxed. With the quirk of his brow, the boy shrugged. "I'm not a witch." Percy gave him a disbelieving look, motioning to the flipped car. "I'm a warlock, duh. Do I look like a girl?"
Percy's head felt very dizzy. "I need to lie down," he muttered. Stumbling once, Nico caught him and sat him back down on the gravel road. "Thanks." Percy frowned but did not move away when Nico sat down beside him. "So, magic..."
Nico seemed amused by Percy's shock. "Yes, I did just do that. I didn't think you saw me flip that car." The boy cast his gaze to the road, where he picked up a rock. "Though, I suppose you also saw our ritual."
"So you were doing a ritual," Percy whispered.
Nico's eyes were dull when Percy looked up. "Do you hate us now?"
Hate them? They had been good friends so far, and Percy had not really found anything wrong with them. Sure he might get annoyed with them every now and then, but that was common amongst all friends. He was just caught off-guard, and it was not like Nico was being inconsiderate about it either; the boy was actually being very patient. Percy just needed some time to get his head around all of this.
Percy snorted, laughing. Nico looked at him like he was crazy. "Of course not," Percy chuckled. "Just, um..." Percy motioned to Nico. "You know, a little freaked out...but in a good way." He scratched his head. "Is there a good way to be freaked out?"
Nico just rolled his eyes. "I will never understand you, Percy Jackson." He finally touched Percy's arm and the green-eyed boy smiled at him. "At least you seem pretty calm now."
"Just needed a moment to lose my mind." Percy brought his legs up to his chest. "But, so, you practice witchcraft then?" Nico nodded. "And that means the town was right about you?"
"Yes and no," Nico replied. He stood up and offered Percy a hand, which the older boy took. Percy's legs still felt like goo. "We do practice witchcraft, but we don't worship Satan or any form of a devil. In fact, we don't believe in either of those things. For some reason, the Christian church decided it got to tell even those that practice the craft what their religion involved. I mean, they think we have to get our power from some evil force."
"Oh." There were so many questions running through Percy's mind at the moment, and he simply did not know where to start. He was still stuck on the fire and the car flipping. "This is a lot to process."
Nico nodded, keeping his eyes on Percy. "I can imagine. You're the second mortal to know about us in this town."
"The other?"
A smile touched at Nico's lips. "Grover. Long story."
Percy shook his head to try and clear it. "Hold up." He held up his hands and made the timeout motion. "So, what about the town? They call you witches all the time, yet you guys don't seem to worry that much."
Nico gave him a dull look. "You really think we'd be worried about people with knives, guns, and fire when you saw what I just did? Please," the boy scoffed. It made Percy smile slightly. "No, like I told you before, they think we just worship the devil. There are two types of witches in the reality of things: practicing witches and magical witches."
"So, what's the difference?"
Nico glanced to the woods. "Um, maybe another time." He smiled up at Percy. "Just...I'm glad you're taking this so well."
"Taking what so well?" The two boys froze at the new voice.
Luke stood at the edge of the woods, no longer wearing his robe. And now that Percy's head was clear, he noticed Nico's was also gone. Luke stepped onto the road, his eyes instantly shifting over to where the car was situated in the ditch.
"Would anyone like to fill me in on what just happened?" The blond asked. "Drunk driver?"
Nico let out a sigh. With a glance in Percy's direction, Nico gave Luke an answer that would spell the end to Percy's life as he knew it. "We have a problem."
I said I'd be merciful, not a saint. Like you expected any less of me by now? But, yeah, most of you already knew what they were. Though, as Nico is already pointing out, they aren't quite what the town has painted them to be either. Now for where this story came from, since I've had people saying it reminds them of things. I had the idea of doing a supernatural(vampire, werewolves, or witches) fic back when Children was in its younger days, back when I was finishing up Choke. But I couldn't figure out anything for it, so it got left alone. Shoot forward a good while and I saw the Beautiful Creatures trailer, and eventually saw the movie. Watching that sort of gave me a feel for what I wanted, in some ways. I knew I wanted to put the fic in the south and I knew I wanted to do witches. But still could not figure out a plot. Then came American Horror Story: Coven and the fic was finally born. I put the fic in the south probably for the same reason AHS: Coven was there: New Orleans is a site for magic in North America. So I stuck with wanting to do a small town and dropped the setting an hour or two away from New Orleans.
The families were crafted somewhere between those two points. However, some of the plot did not get figured out until after the fic had started. I think the dreams were a last minute addition as well. So that's sort of where this came from, and could possibly explain some of the song choices I think I mentioned back at the beginning of the fic. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy where it goes, as Percy finds out exactly what a real witch/warlock is.
And I haven't said this in a while, but I really do appreciate all the support you guys have given me over my course of writing. I appreciate all the reviews, alerts, favorites, or even just taking the time out to read what I wrote. It really does mean a lot to me, and I realized I hadn't said thank you in a while. So, thank you for everything.
