The Blonde and the Bootlegger: A Percy Jackson story

Vent du Nord

Leo P.O.V
Frank took over driving for me on the way back from Montreal, so I could sleep. I only reluctantly let him drive Festus, since I was the only one I trusted to handle him. Frank was a good man, though our relationship had a rocky start. He thought that I was trying to move in on his girl, Hazel. Hazel is a special girl but there are boundaries a guy just doesn't cross.

We arrived in the outskirts of Montreal around midnight. Our stop was Vent du Nord, the house of Boreas, our Canadian contact.
Vent du Nord is a grayish white stone castle-like mansion with turrets and a roof shingled in grayish blue tiles. That night, it was all lit up since Boreas was throwing a party.

We found his two sons, Calais and Zethes, among the guests inside. Calais, a big, stupid ox of a guy, was guzzling from a keg of beer. Both he and his brother Zethes had icy white-blond hair and dark eyes. Zethes was a greasy little guy with slick-backed hair and a bad case of acne. He was chatting up a girl who couldn't have been less interested. As a certified lady magnet, I know when a guy has it, which Zethes certainly did not. I almost felt sorry for him. We can't all have the good looks and charm of Leo Valdez.
I elbowed my way through the guests, saying "hot stuff coming through," and walked over to a table with glasses of champagne. Taking a sip from my glass, I thought about how great it was to be able to have a drink without being afraid of getting arrested.
The girl that Zethes was trying to chat up managed to get away from him.
"Strike out again, Zethes?" I asked.
"Valdez," Zethes snarled.
"The one and only."
Calais and Zethes's sister, Khione, walked down the stairs and shot me a frosty look. Khione was by far the best looking member of the family. She had skin as pale and as clear as ice, glossy hair so black that it looked blue and velvety, coffee brown eyes one could get lost in. That night, she wore an ice blue dress embroidered in silver and a headband of rhinestones arranged in what looked like snowflakes.