Chapter 1: A Girl Like You
Half blood, Texas. 1971
It was cold out. Texas Cold.
That special little temperature that only really came around during summer nights in the lone star state. A perfect little goldilocks zone of warm and chill that felt like it was impossible.
It seemed to defy logic and reality whenever the sun tucked itself behind the horizon in those months. The sun went down, the streetlights went on, and all of a sudden a person was free to wear whatever they wanted. Three layers of denim? A tank top and board shorts? Didn't matter, it was comfortable either way.
Half blood was a new town, so new the paint on the sign hadn't even dried yet. So new that the smattering of buildings that made up the town square weren't even painted at all. So new that only the bare necessities laid in town, one of which being the bar.
Dionysus' place.
It was a quiet place. A couple of pool tables, a handful of regular tables, and a counter against the back wall with bottles of firewater lined up against the mirrored shelf that sat behind it.
There was a man there, a young man. Couldn't have been older than 22. He was tall and toned, a clear farm boy from his body alone, and that's if you didn't take note of the well worn double denim he sported as he sat.
He had black hair that was crew cut, and tucked up behind a tan cowboy hat, which went well with the spurred cowboy boots that sat on his feet. His eyes were a piercing green, like the sea, and sat behind a thick pair of glasses, glasses he'd needed since he was a boy. Intense and expressive, his eyes showed an emotion that you didn't need to be an empath to recognize.
Sorrow. Sadness. The kind of emotion that would bring a man to a bar. The kind of emotion that only comes when you're doing some thinking, and don't like what you're thinking about. The kind of emotion that reflected where he was.
In a one bottle bar, in a one horse town, with only one girl on his mind.
He clutched his glass and knocked back the whiskey that was in it, before gesturing to the bartender who poured him another glass with a slight frown.
"Might wanna take it easy, son." The bartender said, to which the young man raised his gaze up to the old barkeep.
"No..." He said in a thick southern drawl, sliding something around the table with his right hand, "...I don't think I will."
The old man shook his head as he turned away from the young man, walking back down the bar. The young man sighed through his nose, clutching the object he'd been sliding around in his hand and bringing it in to his face.
It was a ring. An engagement ring.
He stared at the small silver band, taking in its detail. Taking in the small diamond that was embedded into the band of silver as words flashed behind his eyes. Words that had really just gone and torn him in half when he'd heard them.
I can't.
He sighed again, bringing the glass to his lips as he took another drink. He'd probably spend the night in this bar, drinking his sorrows away, and then... well, shit. Probably do the same the next night. He knocked back his glass and gestured to the bar keep again, when a sound from the door caught his attention. It opened up and a figure stepped in.
A girl. A girl who, if the young man weren't so focused on a different girl, he might have thought was the most beautiful girl on the planet.
She was short, short and slim, with dark caramel skin, thick black hair that flowed over her shoulders, and dark onyx eyes. She had full lips, smooth skin, a gentle face, and a body that, even under her blue jeans and thick black leather jacket, the young man could tell may as well have been sculpted by Michaelangelo himself.
She looked dangerous, yet reserved, like a mountain lion had just waltzed into the bar and was deciding who to make her prey. Eyes shot up when she'd entered, a number of them lingered, but most went back to their business when the truth smacked them in their faces.
They didn't have a chance with this one.
She let her eyes float over the bar, sizing up the patrons who were scattered about the place, before her eyes landed on the young man, catching his stare and matching it as a sly smile pulled across her lips. The young man quickly snapped back forward, watching as the bartender filled his glass again, to which he gave him a nod and a smile.
He took a swig from the glass as the girl sauntered over to him, sliding in next to him at the bar and leaning into the counter. It was hard for the young man not to stare, with how that body of hers just screamed at him when her leather jacket fell open and showed off the tight white shirt she had on. She gently drummed her fingers on the counter, letting her eyes study the man's face before drifting up and down his body as he desperately struggled not to lay his eyes on the goddess that sat next to him.
He eventually couldn't help himself, letting his eyes flick over to hers, and drawing a smile from her the second they met. He let out a nervous chuckle, one that showed his cards before he'd even said a word, practically screaming at her: I'm putty in your hands.
"Can I help you?" He asked, flashing a slight grin as he did. Her smile pulled a bit farther as she eyed him up some more.
"Depends." She told him. He took a breath, trying to calm his heartbeat that, admittedly, had kicked itself up a notch the second she'd sat down.
"Depends on H'wat?" He asked, his thick accent combined with the whiskey he'd already drank slurring the sentence.
"Depends on a lot of things..." She replied, "How about we start with introductions? I'm Zoe." She said, resting her chin on her fist as she leaned intonthe bar. He took a shaky breath at the sight.
"Perseus Jackson." He replied, "But my friends call me Percy."
Zoe wiggled her eyebrow as she leaned in a bit closer to him, right up to his ear, and whispered words wight into it.
"Think I can call you Percy?"
Something happened, in Percy's mind. He didn't know if it was the alcohol or this girls whole attitude or... something else, but the second she'd breathed those words into his ear, he felt any and all walls he had crumble like sand. A smile pulled at his lips as thoughts of the old girl were pushed out for this new one.
"Well, darlin'..." He replied, taking another sip from his glass as he turned to face her, "... I think you can call me whatever you'd like."
Her lips pulled a bit farther, showing off her perfect white teeth as she shifted her hand, putting her fingers against her temple as she continued to lean against the counter. Her eyes flicked down to in front of him and she noticed it.
The engagement ring.
Her lips fell back over her teeth as she looked back at his eyes.
"Got plans for tonight, Percy?" She asked, gesturing at the ring. He let out a sigh, sliding the ring into his hand and pocketing it.
"Those plans already happened a few hours ago..." He answered as a somber expression painted itself over his face. His thoughts started to drift back to where he'd just been, the girl he'd just been with, before Zoe stole his thoughts again.
"I'm guessing things didn't go well, then?" She asked him, as her mouth shifted into a sympathetic pout. He caught his breath, stuffing the immediate desire he had to kiss those cute lips of hers and turned back to the bar.
"Yeah... you could say that..." He said, softly drumming his fingers on the table as he lifted the glass to his lips. He stopped when she reached out and caught it, softly slipping the glass from his hand and knocking it back herself. She set the glass down, turning back to him and clicking her tongue.
"Sounds like something you might like to talk about."
He let out a chuckle, "Not sure if it's something you'd wanna listen to, darling."
Her lips pulled into that same pout that got Percy's blood pumping even harder than it had before, "Why's that, Percy?"
He let out a soft sigh, "Well... it's my girl..."
He took note of how her brow twitched a bit when he'd said my girl, and felt something tug at his mind, an almost supernatural desire to keep Zoe as happy as he could. That feeling pulled his next words from his mouth without his permission.
"Ex girl now, I guess..." He said with a sigh as she pulled her eyes back into a squint.
"Let me guess..." She began with a soft expression, "... you proposed, and she said no, right?"
He let out a sad smile and turned to Zoe, "Ding ding ding." He said in a sad tone.
Zoe leaned forward, rubbing a gentle hand over his shoulder that may as well have been soaked in flames considering how much it heated him up where she touched.
"Sounds like she ain't too smart of a girl." Zoe told him, her eyes flicking up to his as she traced her hand down his shoulder.
He let his mouth stay still for a moment, admittedly trying to stop the pounding of his heart in his chest, before a soft laugh fell out and a smile spread over his face.
"Y'know..." He said, letting go of any resistance he still had and letting his eyes run over the length of her body, taking in all the details he'd secretly wanted to see. All while she watched him with that same sly look on her face.
"I know?" She asked him in a sly tone.
"Y'know..." He replied, letting his desires flow through his mouth, pulling out a lie that he didn't really care to correct, "... I don't think I've ever met a girl like you before."
She let out a small laugh as she bit down on her lip, letting her eyes flick up to his before she leaned in, close, right up to his ear. She whispered in his ear, in a tone that, just like before, melted him like wax, more than anything possibly could.
"You ain't seen nothing yet."
If there was any resistance, any guilt, any ounce of him that had been saying stop, this is wrong, don't do this up until that point, her words had obliterated it. He wanted this girl, and wanted her bad, and he got the feeling she knew damn well how he felt.
She let her hand slink up his arm before she grabbed his collar and pulled him close.
"I got a place we can go..." She said, running her tongue over her teeth, "...a private place. If you're okay with that, that is."
He thought about it for a moment, and regained his focus. Was he? Okay with that? Should he be moving on this quickly? Should he be moving on at all? Maybe she just needed time, his girlfriend, to think it over, maybe she just-
His train of thought stopped, dying in his mind when he felt her hand trace up his thigh. She ran it up to his belt, slipping her fingers under the waist of his pants and letting them graze his bare skin, drawing a shiver from him.
Her hands were cold. Freezing cold.
She pulled him close, bringing his face right up to hers as her free hand wrapped itself around his neck. Her free hand that was just as cold, and felt strong as iron. Her free hand that pulled his face toward hers, right into a kiss.
It was wrong. So wrong. But it felt so right.
She pushed in, tilting her head a bit so her frigid lips could press closer, all while her tongue pushed its way intonhis mouth. Percy couldn't resist, couldn't pull away. He couldn't do much of anything. His mind felt like it was in a fog, like it had been dipped in tar and he was blindly wandering about, trying to make sense of reality. His thoughts sharpened. Focused themselves. They narrowed into a single idea that he knew wasn't his, and he knew he didn't like, but he couldn't help but let lead him by his nose as he kissed her back.
You need her. Now. However she wants you.
Zoe pulled away, licking her lips a bit. He glanced at her mouth and noticed something.
Blood.
He brought his hand up to his mouth and pulled it across his lips, taking note that it was his, from a cut that had opened on his lip. He paused for a moment, a bit of fear running through his heart before she opened her mouth and spoke, hissing the words out with enough lust to put Aphrodite to shame.
"I need you. Now. However I want you."
He couldn't process anything, any sights, any sounds, any scents, any tastes. All he could think about was how his blood was pumping, his heart was beating, and he needed to know what she looked like without a piece of clothing on her.
She licked the blood off her hand and ran her hands under his coat, up his chest as she leaned into him, wrapping her hands under his shoulders as she did. He felt his breathing deepen and his heart pound even harder as she stood up, lifting him up off his chair, to his feet.
He stood up from the bar, taking note that the bartender was approaching, probably looking for pay, which Zoe handled, slapping a wad of hundreds on the counter and telling him to "Keep the change".
She led Percy out of the bar, the spurs on his boots clinking as he walked. She held his hand tight, guiding him down the simple roads and alleys all while taking multiple breaks to push him against walls and press her lips to his. Every time, every damn time, it made him melt, made him swoon, make him want her more and more.
He couldn't help it, he was putty in her hands.
She pulled him along, leading him along until they got to the place she'd been talking about. A motel, with cars scattered about the parking lot.
She led him to the motel, and past a couple of figures who were leaned against an old R.V.. One of them glanced up at him. A blonde man, just about Percy's height, with pale blue eyes and a long scar that ran up his right cheek. He narrowed his eyes back and glanced at Percy, before clicking his tongue and snapping his eyes to Zoe.
"New blood?" He asked, in a thick Louisiana accent. "He don't look all too special, there, Zoe."
Zoe stopped, pulling her eyes back into a glare that she cast over the blonde man.
"He might just be, Castellan, and I'll have no complaints."
The man, Castellan, held up his hands and let out a sly smile, "Wouldn't dare it, your majesty."
Zoe let her lips flick into a hint of a scowl, before they softened and she turned back to Percy, the smile returning to her face.
Zoe pulled Percy along, past the blonde man and the other figures and past the R.V., towards the motel. She found a door, room 07, and practically kicked it down. She shoved him inside, slamming the door behind her, before she turned to him.
She stared into his eyes.
He stared right back.
They practically flung themselves at each other, Zoe leaping into Percy's arms as he caught her thighs, holding her close as she pressed a kiss against his lips. It was hot. Well, no, it was actually cold, kissing her. Her lips were frigid, like she was a lifeless corpse pressing her lips to his, yet something inside him wouldn't let him stop.
It was so, so hot.
It drove him insane as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and flicked his hat off his head. She pulled his jacket off him as she tossed it and her leather coat on the floor near the end of the bed, pushing him onto the bed as she mounted him. He sat up, feeling his mind wash over with that thick fog yet again as she unbuttoned his shirt, slowly tracing kisses down his neck.
She reached up, pulling his glasses off his face and setting them down on the bedside table. His vision immediately went blurry, his sight limited to just about a foot or so in front of him, barely enough to make out her face.
The second the glasses came off, and visual input was cut off with it, his mind snapped back into focus. This was wrong. What they were doing, what he was doing. He hadn't broken up with his girl, not even close. Sure, she hadn't wanted to slip on the ring, but that didn't mean things were over, that didn't mean maybe next year, if he asked again, the answer wouldn't be yes.
What he was doing was wrong.
Zoe must've sensed this because she stopped kissing him for a moment to lean back into his lap.
"What's the matter, Percy?" She asked. He looked at her, just about as well as he could've without his glasses on.
"This ain't right..." He said, as he tried to shift her off him, "...what we're doing... this ain't..."
She pressed a frim hand on his chest, pushing him back to the bed as she reached for her shirt, slipping it over her head, before she reached back and unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor.
Even without his glasses, he could still tell. She was something. But that didn't matter, not anymore. He needed to go back, back to her. He needed to process, to think, and not when he was drunk.
He needed to pull off his pants, and rip hers off too.
His mind snapped back into focus, his brows furrowing as it did. Where the hell had that come from?
He needed to feel her skin against his. Now.
He glanced back up at Zoe and, he swore, just for a moment, even through the blur that had plagued his vision since he was a boy.
Her eyes were glowing.
She leaned in to him, into his ear, and let that soft whisper flow over him, wrapping him in it's sweet sound and pulling him under.
"You're thinking about her, aren't you?"
He wanted to say yes, and he wanted to say no. He was torn, he couldn't think, couldn't reason, couldn't identify his desires so much as vaguely describe them to himself. He couldn't think of his own name or why he'd even need to know it. He felt his arms fall back, out of his control, as she leaned in, pressing her lips against his neck.
"Don't worry Percy." She whispered against his neck, "When I'm done with you, you won't ever worry about her again."
He tried to speak, to refuse, to resist. But he couldn't. He was pinned to the bed by his own body and all he could do was lay there.
Lay there in silence, as he felt two teeth punch into his neck.
Ba-dum
Ba-dum
Ba-dum
Percy's head throbbed, aching all over as what felt like the worst hangover he'd ever had pounded back and forth in his brain.
Ba-dum
Ba-dum
Ba-dum
He felt his eyes snap open as he realized that noise, that repetitive sound he was hearing, it wasn't inside his own head. He heard something, and it pounded in his eardrums.
Ba-dum
Ba-dum
Ba-dum
He brought his hand to his head as he sat up, blinking intensely as the light from morning poured in through the window. The window of the motel. The motel that Zoe had brought him to last night.
He felt a shiver go up his spine as he realized what he'd done. Oh God, what had he done.
He glanced over at her, laying in bed on her stomach, her bare back exposed all the way down until a blanket covered her rear. A little voice in his mind told him to yank it off her, but he stuffed it down when he realized something.
He could see her. Clearly.
Not just make out her general shape, but see her. See her skin, the soft texture, the gentle curves of her body as she laid in bed as still as a corpse. He could make out the sweat that had beaded on her skin and the scratches that he must've left in her back.
He couldn't process what he was seeing. He turned away from her to the room and realized he could see everything. The dust in the air, the stains on the walls, there was even a fly that sat on the table next to the TV, and he could see every bit of texture on its body.
He could hear it too.
The buzzing, the chittering, the gently flaps of its wings as it cleaned itself. He could hear every little noise it made. He watched as it took off, flying around the room as he felt panic shoot through him, his breathing quickening as it did.
Why could he see and hear so well.
He rolled his legs out of the bed, planting his feet on the ground as he grabbed his boxers and slipped them on, his jeans following closely. He struggled to buckle his belt, cursing to himself as he felt his breathing get heavy.
What the hell was going on.
Zoe must've heard him and his struggle, becaus she rose up out of her slumber, turning over her shoulder to look at him. He met her eyes, panic clear as day in them, and she gave him a smile, grabbing her t shirt and slipping it over her as she did.
"Mornin' sunshine." She said, stretching her arms as Percy shakily pulled a shirt over himself.
"What... what is this?" He asked her, taking note of the fact that he could even smell her, a quick whiff bringing in a recognizable aroma he'd smelled all night long as he slept.
She stood up, circling the bed as she pulled on her underwear and approached him. He backed up into a wall, pressing himself against it as she slid her hands up his chest. She smiled, letting her palms feel the outline of his muscles under the thin cotton, before she stood on her toes, leaning in to his ear.
"Not bad, Jackson." She said, her nails digging slightly into his chest, "I might just keep you around."
He felt his eyes widen as panic kept firing up and down his spine. Why was she saying that? Keep him around? Like fuckin' hell she'd be keeping him around.
He slipped out from her hands and started making his way to the door, all while she reached down and grabbed his denim jacket off the ground, slipping it over her shoulders and pulling it tight across her chest.
"I wouldnt do that if I were you." She told him.
He felt his lips pull into a scowl.
"Try me."
He grabbed the door handle, gave it a twist, and yanked it open.
Bright.
That's all he could think, all he could get his mind to focus on as the morning light flooded the room and made him clamp his eyes shut in an instant. He let out a cry, slamming the door closed and falling backwards as he did, landing on the floor next to the bed as he rubbed his eyes aggressively.
It was bright out. Too bright. Brighter than it had ever been before and brighter than he'd ever thought possible. The sun had practically flooded his sight with pure whiteness the second he'd opened the door, which hadn't exactly been helped by his newfound 20/20-on-steroids vision.
He rubbed his eyes as he felt his breathing pick up again, all while Zoe watched him. He fell forward, digging his fingernails into the floor as he heard the door open again, immediately bringing his hand up to shield his eyes from the blinding light.
The door shut closed and he looked up at the figure in front of him. It was the blond man, the one Zoe had spoken to by the R.V., Castellan. Percy could make out some details on him as he looked up at the man. Blue jeans, red snakeskin boots, a loose, partially buttoned Hawaiian shirt, and something else that stood out to Percy.
Sunglasses. Thick, dark, ray Charles style sunglasses, pushed up to his brow line.
The man put his hands on his hips, giving his head a shake as he turned to Zoe, who'd taken a seat on the bed.
"This some kind of a fuckin' joke or somethin', Zo'?"
Zoe sighed from the bed and Percy looked up at her, his eyes having readjusted from the absolute blast of light they'd gotten.
"Give him a chance, Luke. It's his first day."
"His first day..." The man repeated, mocking her with his Louisiana drawl. He reached down and pulled Percy to his feet, with more ease than he should've had, all things considered.
He pressed Percy against the wall, using a finger to drop his sunglasses down his brow and point his pale blue eyes right into Percy's green orbs. He grabbed his mouth by the cheeks, turning his head so he could run a hand over his neck, before he pulled it away.
It had blood on it.
Percy watched the hand and wrenched himself from Luke's grip, all the while Luke brought the hand up to his mouth and licked it off his fingers.
Percy ran a hand over his neck and found it. Two punched holes in his neck and a bit of blood. He pulled his hand away in horror as Luke spat out the blood he'd just licked up.
"Well he's turned, thats for sure." Luke said, looking at Zoe, "...and if you're the one who turned him, he's your responsibility, not mine. Got it Zo'?"
She nodded from the bed as Luke turned back to Percy and grinned, pushing the sunglasses back up on his face as he approached him. He clapped a hand on Percy's shoulder, giving his head a shake as he hissed laughter out from behind his teeth.
"Wrlcome to the family, son." He said ina mocking tone, "Im sure you and Zoe have already acquainted yourselves plenty, and I'll leave her to acquaint you some more with your newfound..." He tapped his fingers on his chin as he thought of the word, "...status."
With that, he left, letting out a wry chuckle as he opened the door, blinding Percy again, before closing it behind him.
Percy was still for a moment. Not uttering a word, not making a noise, just standing in place against the wall, when he heard it again.
Ba-dum
Ba-dum
Ba-dum
He pressed his hands up to his ears, trying to drown out the noise when Zoe spoke.
"You hear it, don't you?"
He snapped his gaze to her, a frown pulled across his face.
"What is this, Zoe? What the hell is this?"
She ignored his question as she slipped off the bed, sauntering over to him as he tried and failed to keep his eyes off her bare legs. She slid her hands up his chest, leaning in close as she whispered into his ear.
"You hear it. Don't you? The beating." She said, as she held her hands up and clapped right along with the rhythm he was hearing. So perfectly that she had to have heard it too. "...it means you're hungry, Percy."
He felt at his chest as he swallowed his fear, loking her right in her eyes.
"What did you do to me Zoe?"
She smiled, a dangerous, lustful smile that made Percy more nervous than anything. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to the bathroom as she answered.
"Let me show you."
They walked into the bathroom as Zoe flicked on the lights and made him face the mirror and, lord almighty...
His eyes were glowing. Flickering with light, like when you saw a coyote on the highway or a barn cat at a ranch. They flickered and glowed in his reflection as Zoe's did the same. She let out a smile as she left fhe room, leaving him to stare at his reflection in shock. He let his eyes flick away from his eyes as they tested down to his neck, and he saw it.
Two holes. Bite marks.
His hand shot up to his neck, over the wound as he felt his breath quicken again out of fear. Zoe walked back into he room, pants on now, and slipped her leather jacket over his shoulders all while Percy's mind slowly put things together.
What was he? His eyes glowed in reflections, his senses were heightened, he could hear what he was pretty sure was a heartbeat in his ears.
He didn't like the sun.
He had two holes in his neck, bite marks...
It hit him all at once, and nearly swept him off his feet. He turned to Zoe as he leaned on the bathroom counter. She had a smile on her face, one that told him she knew what he was thinking. He turned back to the mirror and opened his trembling mouth, pulling back his gums as he did.
They were there, sharpened a bit and poking through his gums, right above his canines.
Fangs.
His mouth snapped closed as it all became too much and he stumbled back, landing in the bathtub as he did. He reached up for the tile wall and gripped it, feeling the porcelain shatter and crumble in his grasp. He looked at it in horror before his gaze flicked up to Zoe, who had a small smile on her face.
She reached into her pocket and pulled something out, sunglasses. A black, dark pair, just like Luke had. She slipped them over her face before she slipped another pair out of her pocket and put them on the table for him.
She got down on a knee, leaning into him as she grabbed a fistful of his collar, pulling him into a kiss. A kiss that didn't feel cold anymore, because he was just as cold as she was. Cold like a corpse. Like a walking corpse.
She pulled away, standing up and turni g out of the bathroom, but stopping right at the exit and turning her sunglasses covered eyes over to him, opening her mouth to speak.
"Welcome to the real world Percy." She turned back forward, "I'll see you outside."
With that she walked out of the bathroom and left the motel room.
Percy started to hyperventilate. He couldn't help it, couldn't help any of what was happening. His breath tightened and constricted, ripping air in and out of his lungs as he desperately tried to calm himself. He eventually did, getting control of his breathing and letting it go slower, and slower, and slower...
Until it stopped.
He didn't breathe. At all. He could, and his body still instinctively did it automatically, but he didn't need to. He held his breath for twenty seconds, forty seconds, a minute, and didn't even start to feel anything.
It made him want to be sick, until he noticed something worse. He couldn't feel his heartbeat.
He brought his hand to his wrist and checked for a pulse and there was nothing. Nada. Zip. He pressed his fingers up to his neck as hard as he could, desperate to find any sign of life, but there was nothing.
He was dead. A corpse. A walking corpse.
He laid back in the tub, trying as hard as he could to force his brain to process this, before he smelled it.
Burning.
It took him a moment to realize it was flesh burning, and another to realize it was his flesh burning.
He felt about his chest, scrambling with his hands at whatever was causing the searing of his flesh. He reached under his shirt, grabbing at it and pulling it from his body, before throwing it on the floor in front of him and staring at it in shock.
It was his crucifix, the one he'd had since he was a boy. Red hot, like it had been thrown in a furnace.
Red hot, after it had touched his skin.
And there you go. Chapter 1 complete.
Not gonna lie, I've been sitting on this idea for a while. It came to me as I was still working on godless land so I stuck it on the back burner as I worked the ideas out in my head.
This is gonna be a long-ish one. As long as godless land was? Maybe. Or maybe shorter. I'm still working things out but at the moment I've got quite a few chapters planned out and ready to be written. Updates might be slow though, or at least slow by my standards. I want to take my time with this one. Go over things, pre write multiple chapters, and make sure I don't write myself into a corner again.
Hope you guys enjoy, see you soon.
-Bronzeandsteel