Nico POV

"You can't be serious, Father!" I complained. My old man scowled. 

"Do you think I'm joking child? This must be solved, the two of them are starting to affect the surrounding areas."

"But why must I go? You know full well that I don't have Hazel or Bianca's 'people skills.' Why not send them?"

Hades di Angelo stood from his chair and stepped up until he was right in front of me, forcing me to look up at his face.

"Your sisters are busy and your power is stronger than theirs anyway. These two need to be dealt with, and you are the one to do it. Now begone."

And with that he turned and walked away.

"Stupid, foul feuding mythological creatures!" I fumed as I stomped through the halls to the portal room. 

A skeleton rat ran past, followed by a pale child with black hair and black eyes. His mother hurried after him, her looks almost identical.

Yeah, living in a colony of necromancers could get really boring.

I mean, everyone looks like each other! Well, except Hazel, but she's not a necromancer, she just lives her cause her mom died and Dad was 'gracious, willing and loving' enough to take her in.

Basically, the entire community threatened to kill him if he didn't let her move in with us.

It was actually pretty nice. Hazel was an adorable little thirteen year old ball of energy who ran around and gave people little gems or nuggets of gold when they helped her. She possessed power over riches and the ground, probably a gift from her mother. 

'GET ON WITH IT!' My dad roared in my head.

"Aright, alright, don't get your panties in a twist." I muttered as I walked into the portal room and strode through the right one.

The ocean breeze was calming when I stepped into the real world again.

I stood in the shade of a forest, looking out over a beach with a rocky outcrop off to one side. 

Literally picture perfect.

Sensing the presence of the undead, I turned and headed into the dark forest.

I stopped at a large castle. Frowning, I realized that it wasn't nearly as far a walk as I had thought it was. Only about a minute or so.

"Well, here goes nothing." I knocked on the front door.

Silence.

It's a big castle, I reminded myself. I gotta let the resident get to the door.

As if it had heard my thoughts, the door began to open.

"Hello? I swear if you're here on account of that all-accursed-"

"My name is Nico di Angelo." I interrupted the voice that had come from the partially open door. Inside I could see the interior of the castle was black and drapes covered all the windows.

"Who are you then? Do come in, I can't exactly greet you at the door with my predicament."

I stepped inside and kicked the door closed. "As I said, my name is Nico di Angelo. I am a necromancer and my father sent me since-"

"A necromancer?" A dark shape dropped from the ceiling. The chandelier, more accurately. The floorboards made no noise as whatever it was touched down in a crouch before straightening. 

"Do you mind? I can't see a thing." I pulled a match out of my pocket.

"Oh, my apologies. Go ahead, Master di Angelo."

I  lit the match and got my first view of one of the people whose problem I was supposed to fix.

He was pale, but that was to be expected. He stood about 6 foot 2 and his electric blue eyes sparked as if they contained lightning. His blond hair was windswept, but I had a feeling that came naturally. He was dressed immaculately in dark clothing that was obviously expensive.

"Hello." The man smiled cautiously and I caught a flash of his overly long canines. 

Fangs.

"I'm warning you now, necromancer blood is very potent. You attempt to suck me dry and you will die before you finish your first sip." I warned him.

To my surprise, the vampire before me burst out laughing.

"S-sorry... b-blood....blood-s-sucking!" He slowly composed himself and gave me a genuine smile. "Master di Angelo, I am a vegan."

"A what? How can a vampire be vegan?" I frowned.

"Coconut water makes a wonderful blood substitute actually, Master di Angelo."

I scowled at him. "Stop calling me that. My name is Nico."

"My apologies Nico. My name is Jason Grace. If I may be so bold as to inquire, why are you here?"

"My father sent me to deal with a feud that had broken out."

Instantly the polite, cheerful demeanor I observed in Jason was gone.

"Oh. Yes, that." He sneered slightly, as if 'that' were not a thing, but a person.

"May I ask what is going on?"

"It would be better to show you. It is nearly time for the daily attack anyway."

Jason lead me up to the tower. "I enjoy looking out this window. It has an overlook so I can observe the sea without being in contact with sunlight. But recently, this has been happening." Jason pulled back the curtain.

As soon as the room began to get light, a voice sounded from the beach below. There were no words sung, simply a tune. The words were not needed. The magic didn't work on me, but Jason plugged his ears and hissed loudly.

"INSUFFERABLE FISH!" He screamed out the window.

The singing stopped. "Aw come on, I was just warmin' up!"

I stuck my head out the window and looked down to the beach.

Sitting on the rocky outcrop I'd observed earlier was an interesting sight.

Lying on his back, the fins of his tail fanning up and down lazily, was a merman. His tail was a deep blue color and his wild, shaggy hair was black. The tower was rather low and the rocks were tall, so I could clearly see the deep sea-green eyes that sparkled with mischief and happiness.

On the merman's hip, just above where his tail attached to his torso, was a small tattoo of a ship. I decided not to question it.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The merman opened his eyes. "Well, yer a new one. M'name's Percy, Percy Jackson. Yeh'd better be watchin' the man in that there castle, chum. Nasty bloodsucker, 'e is."

He had an obvious sailor's brogue, which was quite distracting at some moments. 

Where Jason seemed refined and proper, Percy looked and sounded to be the exact opposite. 

I was beginning to wonder if that might have been on purpose.

"What were you doing?" I asked.

"Singin', same I do every day."

"It's torture." Jason complained. "That stupid guppy is always taunting me, singing right below my window, making sunshine jokes!"

"Wha'ssamattah, Jase? Lil sun neveh hurt nobo'y!" Percy called teasingly from the rock below.

"LISTEN HERE YOU IRRITATING SQUID! I TOLD YOU IF YOU DIDN'T STOP I WAS GOING TO FIND A WAY TO RIP YOUR FISHY, SMELLY INTESTINES FROM YOUR STILL WARM BODY! I HAVEN'T HAD REAL BLOOD IN YEARS BUT IF YOU KEEP PUSHING ME, THAT MIGHT JUST CHANGE!" Jason roared out the window.

Percy cackled and began to whistle another sailing tune. It had the same effect on Jason as before.

"Don' like me singin' eh?" The merman asked laughingly after about a minute.

"You know very well why I don't like it!" Jason sneered out the window. "I'm almost positive my ears are bleeding, you stupid, useless piece of seafood!"

"Why?" I asked. 

Jason scowled. "A mermaid or merman's sirensong is considered dark magic to us vampires. It is the epitome of torture, the worst sound one could ever think of multiplied tenfold. And that infernal clam knows it!"

Percy's voice rose once again and Jason whirled, plugging his ears and raining threats down on his enemy below.

"Gods, what did I just walk into..."