Aug. 7th, 2017 - Monday Perseus’s POV

“So, what is it about your human?” Perseus glanced up from the half-carved block of wood in his hand at the accented voice and paused.

“He isn’t my human, Nat, and there isn’t anything about him. He’s the means to an end. He must be my soulmate, though, if he really is the next Guardian.” Perseus had searched for the next Guardian for many years to take up the mantle and studied the many magical signatures in the US. His search ended in Ashbrooke, Tennessee, after seeing a power surge light up the grid’s small town. It was half research and half luck that brought him to the small city, and it had paid off.

“Okay, what is it about your possible soulmate, then?” Silver eyes met green, and her gaze became inquisitive. Now, that was a question. Perseus could say a million things about Casey Boyd, none that would be of any significance, but it was progressing. Last week, Perseus had made the first move once he’d gotten over the shock of meeting his soulmate and initiated a conversation with the human. There was pure power radiating off the human, most likely from his untapped magic stores, and Perseus reveled in it.

Casey was quiet and brusque when spoken to, even by adults, but he spoke with a surety that most teenagers did not possess. The human wasn’t like the others, not even his friend, Adam Tolliver. Casey was smart but in a manner that no one seemed to notice, nor did he acknowledge his own intellect. He was in below-average classes save for English, but even then, he did the bare minimum. He possessed an excellent eye for detail if his “doodles” from last Monday were any indication. Then there was the bonding activity from the first day of school. The human lied about every single answer, and Perseus couldn’t figure out the reason. He would have never known had he not heart his heart jump at each lie.

Perseus was ultimately confused about Casey, to put it simply.

“Percy?” He shook his head to escape his thoughtful daze and rose from his workbench.

“Even if he wasn’t my destined, he’d still be a mystery. I like puzzles, Nat, and challenges, and he’s both of those in one package.” Percy stated simply. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you won’t understand until you meet him.” Nat, short for Natalia, was his best friend since 1852, and it showed. They were family in all but blood, thicker than thieves, but still different. The redheaded Russian was logical to a fault. In contrast, he followed his emotions like a compass, whether it was the right path or not.

“Do you want a ride to school?” The subject change was unsurprising, so he only nodded. Natalia wasn’t one for emotions nor discussing them, so Percy let certain things go to keep his bones unbroken. The green-eyed teenager left his workshop and strode through the adjoining two rooms until he reached the actual bedroom.

After a quick shower to wash the wood shavings from his hair, Percy got dressed in clothes fit for other teens and headed for the elevator. He went to the top floor to find his mother in the kitchen, a steaming cup of tea in her hand while she read something off her iPad. A light breeze filled the room from the two doors leading to the balcony. The teen could clearly hear the busy street below in almost overwhelming clarity.

“Good morning, Percy.”

“Morning, mom,” the teen greeted with a smile. He grabbed his lunch box off the counter and tucked it into his backpack with a slight smile. His “siblings” had mocked him for doing something so human. Still, if he would suffer through school again for his soulmate, then Percy certainly would make it easier. Plus, taking his lunch was an easy way to minimize waste.

“Any plans after school?” Tanya Schuyler asked him that every day in the hopes that he had made friends, and today he would finally have a new answer.

“I might tomorrow if things go to plan, but I’ll let you know.” The effect of his words was instantaneous. His mom beamed, and the breeze picked up in response.

“Are you going out? Are you bringing someone over? Should I tell your father, maybe keep your siblings out of the house?” She questioned, the words coming out all in one breath.

“Not sure yet, I haven’t planned that far ahead. I’ll let you know in the morning, mom.” Percy could smell the pride on her as she walked around the island to embrace him tightly.

“Dear goddess, please make a friend. It will help you appear like a human teenager, plus you need to hang out with someone other than Natalia.”

“Hey, you love Nat.”

“I do, she would be using Schuyler if not for her stubbornness, but you need more than one friend,” Tanya stated while gesturing with her mug, “and your siblings don’t count.” Percy felt restless due to the full moon, so he wasn’t looking to argue, and instead nodded.

“Alright, I’ll befriend a few humans if it will make you happy.” His mom pressed a kiss to the top of his head and then ruffled his hair.

“It would make me ecstatic.” With that said, Percy exited the kitchen and took the elevator once more. He stepped out into the garage where Nat was waiting in her car, looking mildly annoyed, but that was just her resting expression, so he didn’t take it to heart.

Nat drove him to Ashbrooke middle in silence save for the hip-hop station playing on the radio and dropped him out front without a goodbye. Rude, but not surprising. Percy took the stairs two at a time inside. The green-eyed boy was greeted by the familiar buzz of the air conditioning unit and the horrendous smell of teenagers. Boys who haven’t discovered deodorant and girls who haven’t figured out that a little bit of perfume goes a long way. My favorite. To Percy’s heightened senses, it was a daily headache, but it was all for the sake of power. Hopefully.

Entering the gymnasium, the teen’s eyes found Adam Tolliver’s platinum hair with ease. Percy took a fortifying breath and approached the human in what he hopes is a casual manner.

“Hi, do you mind if I sit?” He asked softly, purposefully lowering his voice and hunching his shoulders. It was a tactic used when dealing with those subjected to trauma to appear non-threatening, but Percy knew it would work well here as well. He was proven correct when, after sizing him up for a handful of seconds, Adam nodded.

“I assume you want something.” It wasn’t a question. Percy smiled and shook his head with a chuckle.

“No, I actually had a question.”

“Okay,” he replied skeptically, “shoot.”

Elbows resting on his knees casually as he glanced at the blond, Percy asked, “Does Casey have a boyfriend?” After a beat, he added, “or a girlfriend?” Adam’s expression went from skeptical to surprise and finally settled on confusion.

“My Casey? Yay high, kind of an asshole?” He asked, gesturing with his hand. Your Casey?

“Unless there’s another Casey, then yes. Though I think he’s slightly shorter than that.” Percy replied, reaching over slowly to push Adam’s hand down a bit. The blond smiled slightly, but it melted away to indifference as he studied Percy.

“Why do you want to know?”

“I’d like to ask Casey on a date, but if he’s otherwise spoken for, then I wouldn’t want to disrespect his partner,” the black-haired teen explained, his tone light. However, he internally prayed that his destined was not already claimed. Adam is quiet for a few minutes, and Percy concentrated on his surprisingly steady heartbeat with interest.

“Why?” Adam finally questioned.

“Be more specific,” he said. Percy glanced away from the human for a moment to nod at Christian Hale, a sign of his respect for the Hale pack’s Beta-Male.

“Why Casey? From what I’ve seen, you’ve got your pick of girls who have made it plenty clear they’re interested, so why go after the one person who doesn’t care?” Adam asked, the words making Percy smile slightly.

“Girls aren’t really my type.” Something flickered in the human’s pale blue eyes and was gone the next second. “Plus, I like him.” It wasn’t that Percy didn’t want anyone to know about their soulmate status, but he wanted Casey to find out from him and on their own time.

“Well, he’s single. And has never been on a date in his life, so good luck.” Percy smiled genuinely. “He runs, he’s like a baby deer or an alleycat.”

“Thanks, for the help and advice,” he tacked on, giving the blond one last smile before rising from the bleachers. He confidently strode out of the gym, meeting Beta Hale’s curious gaze once more before disappearing through the double doors.

Percy headed for Alpha Hale’s classroom while praying to the goddess that she has a lid on her emotions. His footsteps echoed through the empty hallways as he walked, and he knew that the woman could hear his approach. The door was shut, but that didn’t stop him. Percy pushed it open without care and met Rebecca Hale’s dark amber-colored eyes.

“Morning, Alpha Hale, I assume you’re well on the eve of the full moon.” Percy greeted, choosing to ignore her flash of crimson.

“Omega Schuyler,” she replied shortly, “how can I help you?” The teen stood on the opposite side of her desk and stared ahead at the Alpha. He was insanely grateful that he was blessed to be tall.

“For any upcoming partner assignments, you’ll be placing me with Casey Boyd,” Percy said, telling her rather than requesting. Not that Alpha Hale had a choice in the matter, not if she wanted to keep the tensions between their packs from spilling over.

“What do you want with the boy?” Percy grinned slightly at her protective tone and let his own eyes flash in response.

“That’s for me to know, and you to stress about,” he replied simply. The green-eyed teen could smell the anger rolling off her as she rose to her feet in an attempt to intimidate him. Too bad I’ve been doing this a lot longer than her. Percy let ruby red replace the green of his irises, and his magic stirred in response from where it sizzled in his veins like coals.

“You don’t get to waltz in here, and demand-” Percy laughed, a dark sound that had chilled bigger men to the bone.

“Actually, I do. We allow you to live in this territory. I allow you to live despite what you’ve done, so I suggest you watch your tone,” he stated lowly, “you would do well to remember what I am, Alpha Hale.” The woman’s lips pulled back into a snarl, canines elongated past her mouth, but Percy only smirked. If it came to a fight, Percy knew he would win without a doubt. He had a couple hundred years on her, and it would show in a physical altercation.

The bell rang, but it was nothing but a distant noise in the back of his mind. With the full moon practically upon them, it was harder to keep his instincts under control, and it would begin to show. Still, Percy had literal centuries to perfect it.

Resting his hands on the edge of her desk and leaning forward, Percy said, “Don’t try my patience, Alpha, it was never one of my virtues.” The thundering approach of footsteps was the only thing to draw him back, and he quickly plastered on an innocent smile. “Have a nice day, Mrs. Hale. I know I will.” Her quiet growl followed him out of the classroom, and Percy chuckled to himself as his emotions settled once more. A lovely day indeed.

Casey’s POV

Fuck fuck fuck, I’m gonna be late. The brunet practically sprinted up the steep hill and took the steps two at a time. He wrenched the door open and jogged down the hallway, his boots squeaking as he moved. Casey passed Percy, who waved with a distractingly handsome smile but didn’t pause to make small talk. With seconds to spare, the healer nearly slammed into Mr. Hale. He skidded to a stop outside the math classroom, the older man staring at him with an amused expression.

“Cutting it a bit close, Casey,” the man remarked as he stepped to the side to allow him in.

Casey didn’t bother with a reply as he approached the back of the dim classroom. He plopped down at his desk, not bothering to pull out the half-finished packet from the weekend. Instead, he fiddled absently with the dragon scale pin attached to the pocket of his jacket.

The healer was restless, more so than usual. He had stayed up past four, too keyed up to sleep, and had slept through his alarm in turn. One earbud was still in his ear as Mr. Hale began taking up the homework, and Casey slowed his breathing to focus more on the music. Weep little lion man, you’ll never be what is in your heart… It was one of Casey’s favorite songs, but today it didn’t sit right in his head. He yanked the earbud out and stuffed them into his pocket with a quiet huff.

His leg bounced, and his fingers tapped against his thighs to a tuneless beat. The restless energy within him seemed to have no end as the class progressed, and Casey found himself glancing around as if he’s seeing things for the first time. It was all startlingly clear, and it felt like something was wrong. The brunet had been so keyed up this morning he had run to school without a second thought. He ran nearly half a mile, and barely a broke a sweat, like, what the fuck?

“Casey, factors of 27, go.”

“One and three,” was his half-hearted answer.

“And?” Mr. Hale asked, motioning for him to continue. Casey shrugged instead and tried to appear as if he was paying attention. A brief look of disappointment flashed across the man’s face, but it was quickly schooled into a patient smile.

“Factors are the multiples of a number, which means that number can be divided by the factors,” he explained, “Casey was correct about one and three, but he forgot about nine and 27. Can anyone tell me…” Mr. Hale’s voice trailed off in the healer’s head, and his focus ended up on a dull thump coming from somewhere behind him. Casey looked around curiously to find the source of the sound but to no avail. It was slow but steady, almost like a drumbeat echoing throughout the room.

It doesn’t fade for the remainder of class; it seemed to get stronger as he entered Mr. Carter’s classroom. He took his seat beside Percy, taking in his simple outfit, and ran a hand over his shaved head. As he focused on the other boy, the noise faded out until it was barely noticeable in the back of his head.

“Good morning, Casey.”

“Perseus,” he replied simply. The New Kid wasn’t put off by his coldness; it only seemed to make him more insistent on kindling some sort of relationship.

“Are you busy tomorrow?” Perseus inquired, a small smile on his lips. Casey’s brows rose in question, and he turned to face him.

“Why do you ask?” The healer questioned. The green-eyed boy only smiled at the healer, a smile that would be disarming if Casey didn’t feel the familiar pain buzzing at the edge of his brain.

“I would like to take you on a date.” There was no way to misconstrue the words, but it only confused Casey further. What the hell does he see in me?

“A date?” Casey repeated. “Like, candlelight dinner, roses, 80s power ballad? That kinda date?” Percy laughed softly, a melodic sound that struck a chord in the teen’s heart. Wow, he’s beautiful… It wasn’t the first time the healer had that particular thought about the New Kid. Perseus Schuyler looked very attractive the more time Casey spent with him, and he had a feeling that it wasn’t just in the physical sense.

“I was thinking something a little more simple, but if that’s what you wanted, then I’m sure I could make it happen,” Perseus lightly teased. Between his stupidly perfect smile and too-kind eyes, the healer’s brain was beginning to short circuit.

“Can I, uh, can I think about it?” Casey didn’t have an answer at this minute, unsure of what the other boy really wanted. He half expected Perseus to scoff and say it was all a joke, but he only nodded.

“Of course, I’ve nothing but time.”

“Perseus asked me out on a date,” Casey announced as he sat down at their table, not caring to be quiet over the loud voices of the lunchroom. Adam didn’t seem too surprised, only curious, so he made the logical deduction. “You knew.”

“I did,” he said, “he approached me this morning in the gym. It was easy to avoid you since everyone knows you’re usually late.” If it were anyone else, they would’ve been on the receiving end of a scathing retort, but Adam wasn’t just anyone.

“What did he say?” The blond was quiet as he unpacked his lunch box and slid Casey’s designated half across the table before answering.

“He just asked if you were taken.” The healer frowned and picked absently at the wrapping of his sandwich.

“That’s it? Why that?” He whispered more to himself than the other boy as he tried to rationalize the situation. It was hard for him to wrap his head around that Perseus wanted to take him on a date. It was harder to believe there was no ulterior motive behind anything someone did. Casey had already seen what really lay behind the veil of his teenage years; he wasn’t naive. “What do I even say?”

Adam stared at him as his head was on fire. “Uh, say yes?” He said it so matter-of-factly that Casey almost didn’t argue. Almost.

“I don’t even know him,” the brunet stressed, “what if he’s some budding psychopath intent on murdering me?”

“Well, for one, you could be on Buzzfeed if they ever did a segment on victims of the youngest serial killers,” Adam replied. “Two, I think he could’ve picked a better victim for his first time.”

“I didn’t say serial killer,” Casey pointed out, his mind latching onto the first thing that caught his attention in the other boy’s words.

“Nah, but he looks like he could kill. And I don’t mean those killer eyes of his either.”

“Okay, off the topic of killers,” Casey said, “I really don’t want my first date to be with a stranger.” He watched the blond take a bite of his ham and cheese before promptly kicking him in the shin.

“What the shit, Adam?!” He hissed, reaching down to rub at the irritated skin.

“Newsflash, dumbass, you have to talk to people to make friends if you want a dating pool that doesn’t consist of strangers,” he paused to take another bite.” Last I checked, you don’t talk to anyone but me, and we’ve already been down that road. Look how well that ended.” Casey’s brows furrowed as the other boy continued to eat.

“God, you’re right. I’d hate to have another you on my hands,” he deadpanned, to Adam’s amusement. “I can see your lips saying yes, but I really hear no.”

“Look, dude, I can’t force you to go out with the New Kid. I mean, you’re the enforcer in this relationship for a reason.” Casey shot him a sharp look at the term. “I just mean that no one can make you do anything. Say yes or no, it’s always going to be your choice. I just don’t want you to regret that choice down the line.” The healer had enough regrets for his age, thank you very much.

Casey dropped the topic and instead pulled his sketchbook from the pocket of his jacket. As an abandoned graphite farm came to life, the healer made a mental list of the pros and cons of agreeing to a date with Perseus. Pro, he seemed kind enough. Con, Casey knew very little about him, and that could be potentially dangerous. Pro, he was definitely easy on the eyes.

Obviously, the pros outnumbered the cons, but he still couldn’t bring himself to give a definitive answer. Casey watched the boy while in gym class, watched him smile, and laugh with other kids. Perseus was nice. He was sweet and cute and nothing like the healer. It was crazy to think that someone like him would be interested in Casey Boyd, but if he really was, then shouldn’t he be given a chance?

As the pair rounded the gym once again, Casey glanced at his soulmark. He had no soulmate to wait for, but he couldn’t say the same for Perseus. In the three weeks that he had known the New Kid, he had never caught a glimpse of his soulmark. Perseus either wore long sleeves or kept his wrist angled down, which was one point in the cons side. Sometimes being able to see everyone’s soulmarks was a curse.

Gym class ended soon enough, thank fuck for that, and Casey trailed behind him sluggishly. The healer was tired, both from lack of sleep and laps around the gym. It didn’t help that he couldn’t breathe either. His binder felt too tight, the fabric clinging to his sweat-slicked skin as the group headed back to the eighth-grade hall.

“How long have you been wearing your binder?”

“Uh, since about five?” Casey had woken up around four and taken a quick shower but had also taken the time to thoroughly dry before trying to contort his upper body into the chest-prison.

“Dude, that’s like,” Adam paused for a second, “already eight hours! You’re only supposed to wear it that long, dude, and we still have three hours left.” Casey shrugged and chose to ignore the twinging in his ribs as he hopped down the steps.

“I’ll be fine,” he replied, “I’ll take it off when I get home.” Probably. He had a bad habit of forgetting to take the binder off until he bruised. Adam looked skeptical as they entered Mrs. Hale’s room but kept his mouth shut.

Casey plopped down at his desk with an inward wince and pressed a hand to his side. He breathed in shallowly as English progressed and tried to ignore the looks both Perseus and Mrs. Hale kept shooting him when they thought he wouldn’t notice. As the woman continued with her lesson on gerunds, Casey found himself glancing toward the New Kid. Perseus was wearing a t-shirt today, white and nearly transparent enough to see the outline of something printed between his shoulder blades.

The healer’s curiosity was piqued. Whatever it was, it didn’t look like a design on his shirt but rather on his skin. Most people their age didn’t have any tattoos outside of their soulmarks, but who knew what Perseus Schuyler got into. He just got a whole lot more interesting in Casey’s book if he did have one.

He must have been too far in his thoughts to notice other boy meeting his eyes. “Is there something on my shirt?”

“No, just a trick of the light,” Casey stated with a shrug. “And I wasn’t staring at you, I was thinking.”

“Some would consider that dangerous,” Perseus observed, making the healer smile slightly. “Penny for your thoughts?”

“My thoughts are worth far more than that, New Kid.” If he were anyone else, his words might have been flirtatious, but it was just a simple statement from Casey. “If you must know, I was thinking about your offer.” Perseus’s weird-colored eyes seemed to brighten under the fluorescents. Huh, I could’ve sworn they were bronze, but now they’re dark brown… How odd.

“Have you come to an answer?”

“I’m not sure yet, I’m still debating.” To Casey’s surprise, Perseus leaned back in his desk and smiled charmingly.

“Like I said, nothing but time, Casey. No rush.” He sure was different from any other man Casey had ever met. The New Kid was patient like he had all the time in the world, which the healer certainly didn’t understand. Granted, Casey was more aware of reality than his peers, so maybe that accounted for his seemingly constant negativity.

“Tell me why you want me.” To the New Kid’s credit, he didn’t hesitate.

“You are single-handedly the most interesting person I’ve ever met, and I’ve met a lot,” Perseus started. “You are stubborn and cold at times, but you’ll jump to Adam’s defense quicker than your own. You’re selfless to a fault, probably bordering on dangerously, but it’s what makes you so intriguing. I could sit here and point out a hundred things about you that just adds to the mystery, but I’d love for you to have the chance to fill it in as well.” Wow. As a former writer, New Kid’s words appealed to him on a deep level, as did the passion he spoke with. He was like the protagonist straight from a YA novel.

“I think you’re giving me way too much credit,” Casey finally replied, teeth biting into his lip. Perseus smiled and raked a hand through his hair.

“Well, I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough.” The healer had no reply to that and instead turned back around to stair dead ahead at the board, though he didn’t really see what was on it. No one other than the Tollivers had ever said something like that to him, and even then, it was mainly about his lack of effort. No one ever said he was enough.

Throughout the lesson, Casey kept sneaking glances at Perseus and inadvertently meeting Mrs. Hale’s eyes, who seemed confused each time. His ribs protested each time he tried to lean back in an attempt to relieve the pain in his spine, so the healer was stuck in a hunched-over position for the last hour of the day. Casey knew he would have to take off his binder as soon as he got home to prevent further damage, but chose not to think about it.

“Hey,” Adam whispered behind him, “you good, dude?” Casey tapped his right ear twice and forced a smirk. When the clock struck two, Mrs. Hale wrapped up the lesson on context clues, the healer dug around in his bag for his earbuds. He quickly plugged them in to escape his classmates’ chatter, turning his music up as loud as it would go. It’s true, nothing good comes easy just like you, he mentally sang, his eyes locked on the New Kid.

Perseus could be perfect, or very bad, but there was no way to know for sure. No, there was one way. Casey sat there for 30 minutes, his mind racing with a million different scenarios. Still, it was made up when the final bell rang. The brunet followed Adam out the door and to their locker where they shoved their stuff inside carelessly.

The genius bumped his shoulder and glanced past him. “You got an answer yet?” Biting the inside of his cheek, he nodded. “Well, what are you waitin’ for?” Something to tell me when it’s time to move. Casey caught a glimpse of Perseus as he held the door open for a few sixth graders and saw that ridiculously cute smile of his, and released a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. A tightness lingered in his chest, but the healer pushed it aside in favor of being brave.

Board in hand, the brunet walked briskly through the doors and took the stone steps two at a time until he faced Perseus. “So, what should I wear for tomorrow, New Kid?”