In all his life, Luke has never seen anything so massive and grandiose.

Calum opened the front doors, dark hardwood with a glossy paint protection that made it glint against the heavy sunlight outside, with intricate carvings drawn almost microscopically into the wood of designs and creatures that Luke could hardly wrap his mind around. Even so, it's nothing compared to what awaited behind it.

Luke's breath caught as the view opened before him. The bland concrete flooring of the porch stopped at the door and switched into a smooth marble flooring that stretched into the house. Each marble tile had golden edges that were too shiny and too beautiful to not be real, not a scratch in sight despite how many people must have walked across it. The ceiling arches high up above their heads, much higher than it appears outside. Luke figures some sort of charm must be on the house because despite it's beautiful exterior, the interior is even better and even bigger. Chandeliers shimmering with gold and diamonds hangs above their heads, the walls painted a simple but elegant pearl white. There are oil paintings of gods and goddesses Luke recognizes from his mythology class back in junior high hanging on the walls, not one spot unoccupied.

Luke takes a tentative step inside, Calum following closely behind him. The moment he does, he sees other kids look into the foyer of the house, eyes bright with curiosity. They look relatively normal, some younger, some older. Calum waves to them all politely as he leads Luke through the room.

"Hey guys. This is Luke," Calum says, and the kids nod with recognition. "Does anyone know where Malcolm is?"

A kid with bright red hair steps forward. "I think he's in the main corridor."

"Thanks."

"Wait, Calum," the boy says. "Do you know who he is yet?"

Calum turns toward Luke, who blinks at the both of them with confusion. Calum shrugs, shaking his head. "Not sure yet."

Luke is pushed away from all the curious kids as they walk towards another room. He glances back at them with furrowed eyebrows, feeling a bit lost. The entire house seems to be mostly full of teenagers, none of them seeming at all bothered that they live in a huge house with a bunch of kids the same age. Luke wonders if their families stay here with them, too. They're certainly is room.

"Alright, come on," says Calum, taking Luke's arm and pulling him towards a door at the end of the room. "I want you to meet Malcolm. All the newcomers do."

"Who's Malcolm?" Luke asks warily. Calum catches the worry in his voice easily.

"He's no one bad, no worries. He's an older demigod who helped found this place, is all. Not a lot of demigods live into old age, so he doesn't really leave the house much. Doesn't want to run into any trouble."

Luke wants to ask about the whole "demigods don't live long" thing, but Calum gives him a charming smile and opens the door into the room before he can. Luke looks past Calum's shoulder to find a smaller room, decorated with dark wood and furniture with coverings made of thick red wool. A fire flickers at the center of the fireplace, making the room thick with warm heat.

Calum leads Luke in and shuts the door behind him. A man sits on one of the couches, reading a hardbacked book with no title or author, his eyes scanning the pages filled with weird and oddly shaped letters that Luke recognizes as Greek. His back is facing them, but when he hears the door close, he sits up and folds the page corner of his book.

"Hey Malcolm," Calum says, sounding much more at ease once he's in the room. Luke follows Calum as they round the couch to face the older demigod. "I brought Luke."

Malcolm looks up at them and Luke nearly yelps. His eyes are milky white, faded and almost looking silver in the light of the fireplaces. His skin looks rough, a few scars adorning his face and hands, with what looks like oil grease staining his knuckles and elbows. Despite his age, he wears a thick black jacket made of leather, and a belt around his waist that carried a very deadly looking blade.

A smile graces his lips. "Hello, boys. Sit down."

Calum plops down on the couch, kicking his feet out and resting them on the table. Luke sits on the edge, his eye darting around him nervously. Malcolm places his book down on the table in front of him, looking towards the general direction of Calum. Luke stares at his hauntingly white eyes.

"A hydra came and attacked Luke at his house after school. I got a bad feeling so I brought him here," Calum says, his voice as casual as if he were talking about the weather. "Although before that, an Aconite grew by his feet in the school courtyard."

Malcolm frowned. "Well, that can't be normal."

"Right?" Calum glowered at Luke. "I told you."

Luke glared right back at him. "How was I supposed to know? It was a flower!"

Malcolm's smile grew. "Welcome, Luke. I hope Calum hasn't bored you to death with all the information he's told you so far. He can come across very..." He paused, considering. "Earnest."

Calum crosses his arms and frowned, slouching in his seat. "Oh, shut up, Malcolm."

Malcolm's white eyes moves toward Luke and he winks, the playful smile remaining on his face. Then he turns towards Calum. "Calum, why don't you go check up on everyone? Let Luke and I talk for a bit."

Calum sits up. "Fine," he grumbles and gets up, walking to the door of the room. Malcolm waits, staring into nothingness until he hears the door close. Then he smiles at Luke.

"I'm sure you must be very overwhelmed. Calum has a knack for seeking out demigods among mortals, but he can be a little overbearing at times. His talks as fast as his mouth will let him," Malcom says.

Luke gets the idea that Malcolm and Calum have known each other for a very, very long time. He could sense the respect Calum feels towards Malcolm whenever he looked at him or spoke his name. And Malcolm seems to be very comfortable around Calum as well, teasing him like long-time friends.

Luke nods, taking a deep breath. "Yeah. Very confused. What is this place? How come I've never seen it before? I mean, it's only a mile away from the school. I would have passed it on the bus."

The older demigod waits patiently before answering. "This is a house for people like us to stay without being in danger of monsters. It's mostly occupied by demigods, but there are some centaurs, pegasi, and about a handful of satyrs as well. Anyone non-mortal who comes in peace are welcome to stay. Most of them do."

He sits back and crosses his arm. "You've probably never seen it before because of the Mist. It alters what mortals see so that none of them get curious enough to check out the house. Now, you're not mortal, but you grew up with them. You probably couldn't see through the Mist because you were unaware that you even could."

Luke takes this in quietly. He sort of wishes Calum had stayed, even if he would have kept butting in to comment on things. He feels a little safer with someone who he's at least spent a year in classes with, even if it's the brainiac of the school.
Luke looks up and analyzes Malcolm's white eyes. "How'd you go blind?"

Malcolm's smile falters a little and Luke instantly feels bad. "Sorry. I shouldn't have--"

"It's fine, boy. It's just been a while since someone asked me that directly." Malcolm sits up, lifting his hands to his face and resting his palms against his skin. "My workshop caught on fire years back. It was my own fault. I was building things, as a son of Hephaestus always does. I should have been more careful."

Luke wishes he hadn't asked, although the Hephaestus comment explains the oil grease covering his elbows and hands. He's always had a habit of speaking when he's not supposed to, or being outwardly rude when he's not even realizing it. Luke wonders if he should apologize, but Malcolm seems to have already moved on from the topic.

"I'm sure the fight with the hydra was quite jarring. I'm sure Calum knew what to do, I hope? Did he cauterize the heads?" Luke nods. Malcolm smiles. "Good for him. He never likes to fight. He carries a blade with him but he doesn't prefer to use it. He likes fighting with his mind a lot more."

Malcolm blinks thoughtfully. "You sound like a fighter. I'll be interested to find out who you are."

Luke isn't all that interested in fighting another creature like the hydra again. "Will any of those monster things come here?"

Malcolm shakes his head. "No. Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, she lives here and protects the house from any outside monsters. You'll be safe."

"Hestia lives here?" Luke repeats. Malcolm nods.

"Oh, yes. She lives in the flames of the fireplaces. You can speak to her, if you'd like. She can be a bit bitter, however, so it's best to catch her on a good day."

"Well, why is she bitter?" Luke asks. He can't imagine being bitter when living in the warmth of a fireplace in a beautiful house like this.

"She would much rather be living up on Mount Olympus. But she was forced to give her throne to Dionysus."

At that moment, Calum chooses to burst into the room, making Malcolm draw in a slow breath. He smiles at Luke as Calum returns to his spot on the couch. He fixes his glasses and looks at Malcolm.

"Everyone's fine. What did I miss?" Calum asks.

"Nothing much, boy," Malcolm says. He pats the spot beside him and grabs a walking stick, simple and black in color, but with a long number of buttons that Luke can't tell if they open up to simple gadgets or full out weapons. He assumes both, considering he's a son of Hephaestus. Malcolm uses it to help him stand up, and he walks over closer to the fireplace, the light of the flames flickering across his clothes and across the walls.

"When do demigods normally get claimed?" Luke asks. He stares at some of the paintings hanging on the walls, each godly face appearing unfamiliar to him. One of them is his father, but he doesn't know which, and it's making him feel a bit out of place. As he walked through the halls, he could pick out who was who through all the demigod kids. He saw ones who reminded him of Malcolm, with clothing spotted with oil and grease on their hands. He saw kids who reminded him of Calum, who looked at him as though they were analyzing him. Luke saw kids who looks tough, like they were ready to fight if Luke gave them any reason to. Luke figured those were the Ares kids. He's not sure if he fits in with any of them.

"It depends, Luke. Calum got claimed during his second year here. Others get claimed maybe after a year, maybe after three or four. The Gods see no need to rush it," Malcolm says.

"A year?" Luke says incredulously. "That's ridiculous! What, are they too busy sleeping around to care about their kids?"

Luke barely finishes his sentence before a clap of thunder rolls distantly outside, rumbling loudly before fading off. Malcolm raises his eyebrows, continuing to stare aimlessly at the hearth.

"I'd watch your mouth if I were you, Luke," Malcolm advises. "You can't really go throwing around insults like that."

Calum narrows his eyes at Luke, nudging him harshly. "Are you out of your mind? Zeus could turn into a pool of sludge in three seconds flat."

Luke ignores them both, crossing his arms and sinking lower into the couch cushions. "Can I just call my family? I'm normally at home right now. They're probably worried."

Malcolm turns and smiles sympathetically. "Of course. There's a phone out in the hallway." Luke stands up and passes them both to get to the door. As he's about to leave, Malcolm adds, "Don't tell them about the whole demigod thing, however. The more oblivious mortals are, the safer it is for them."

Luke nods quietly and leaves the room. He walks out into the hallway, searching the walls until he finds a phone hanging on one of them. It looks almost dusty, like it hasn't been used in a while. He picks it up, holding it against his ear and plugging in the numbers. Luke sees some other demigod kids looking at him curiously from the other rooms, but he manages to ignore them.

He hears the phone ring in his ear and he waits for someone to answer, but the call ends before anyone does. Luke sighs, and waits for the dial tone so he can leave a message.

"Hey, guys. I'm okay, just so you know. Um... I don't really know how to explain everything, but I just want you to know that I might not be at home for a little while. I'll still go to school and all that, but... I'm staying with a few friends. I'll try and come home as soon as everything is sorted out." Luke tightens his grip on the phone. "I love you. Bye."

He hangs up the phone quickly, his hands shaking a bit. Luke doesn't see how it the world his mother is going to just accept a phone call like that, but he prays to whatever god may be listening that she leaves it be. Luke turns and returns to the room with Calum and Malcolm, opening the door and closing it quickly.

"How did it go?" Malcolm asks. He's now sitting back down beside Calum.

"I just left a message," Luke mumbles and drops down on the couch. He pulls his knees up to his chest. Malcolm nods slowly.

"Calum and I were just going over a few things. I think it would be best for the two of you to continue going to school, and watch over those other kids Calum has a feeling about. There's been something off going on in the gods' world. There's been less interaction recently between the gods and the demigods. I'm not sure why, but I think there is some tension among Mount Olympus," Malcolm says.

Calum's eyebrows knit together worriedly. "I've been getting the same feeling. I'm worried it has something to do with the Underworld. Something about it is giving me a bad aura."

"Right," Malcolm agrees. "Until we know more, however, getting any demigods to the house safely is top priority. When tension grows on Mount Olympus, monsters use the distraction to seek out demigods more."

"Luke and I will watch them. Right, Luke?" Calum looks to him for affirmation, so Luke nods cautiously, not wanting to anger anyone. He wipes his eyes tiredly, feeling a bit overwhelmed at everything that's happened. Calum notices quickly and moves over to sit by him, putting his arm around Luke's broad shoulders.

"Sorry, Luke," Calum says softly. "I know this must be confusing. I promise it'll all make sense soon."

Luke appreciates the comfort. He nods slowly, resting his chin in his palm tiredly. Malcolm seems to sense Luke's exhaustion, because he takes a deep breath and picks up his cane.

"I think that's enough talk for tonight. You both have school tomorrow. I think it would be best for you both to get some rest," Malcolm says, although the finality of his voice doesn't show much room for debate. "Why don't you show Luke to his room?"

"Alright," says Calum, and he gently helps Luke stand up. They both walk out of the room, Malcolm and his white eyes staring at the table in front of him. Calum leads Luke out into the hallway, which by this point has mostly cleared. "Your room will be in a hallway that's in the back of the house. It's next door to the Hermes hallway and the Hephaestus hallway. It's where kids who are undetermined stay."

"That sounds wonderful," Luke mumbles. Calum shrugs.

"It's the same as any other rooms, really. We've all been there at some point." The hallway Calum leads him to looks just as boring and bland as the others, except that there aren't any oil paintings of any any specific god or goddess hanging on the wall. Calum walks down to the second door on the right and swings it open.

"Here you go. All yours," Calum says. Luke steps inside. The floors are hardwood, walls painted a bright, almost too clean white. A simple twin bed is pushed up against a wall with a dresser, mirror, and bedside table. Everything is clean and polished, like it hasn't been touched in a long time. "There are clothes in the dresser."

"Thanks," Luke says with a hint of sarcasm.

"I'll come by in the morning to wake you up for school. Sound good?" Calum asks. Luke nods numbly, and Calum shuts the door behind him as he leaves, abandoning Luke in his hospital-like, undetermined room. Luke sighs, opening the dresser and changing into plain pin-striped pajama pants that barely reach his ankles and a simple white t-shirt. He doesn't realize how tired he is until he throws himself down on the bed, his head hitting the pillow. Instantly, Luke falls asleep, deeper than he's ever slept before.

---
A/N: another bit of luke's point of view and character.

im tired so this isnt going to be a very interesting authors note haha. im excited though because im taking a mythology class at school so hopefully lots of ideas shall come

also i took that demigod quiz and first i kept getting poseidon and i was like ??? so i took a different one and i got artemis so i think that fits a lot better lol

what did you all get when you took it?

hope you enjoyed the chapter. remember to vote and comment so other people can find out about this story :).

love you to the moon. byE