#it wouldn’t matter if someone (likely Hermes) told her what happened to Luke because she’d only forget and remain waiting

[sallyscardigan]

She’s still waiting for her son to come home.

[meterokinesis]

Whumptober Day Two

Read it on AO3

Here, have some unbeta’d PJO angst

The first time Annabeth Chase saw Luke Castellan, she thought he looked like Sleeping Beauty’s prince. She had always preferred Belle over Aurora, but Prince Phillip was kind and funny and slayed dragons. But Luke wasn’t going to let her hide away in a tower, instead he gave her a dagger, looked her in her eyes, and told her she was brave.

No one had ever called her brave before. Smart, creative, stubborn, yes--but never brave. It was the sort of word she could find herself growing to love, along with these kids who were just like her.

Luke was from Connecticut and was what Annabeth’s step-mom called a “yankee.” He wore a UCONN Huskies sweatshirt that was two sizes too big and had definitely been stolen. While Thalia avoided talking about her life back home--all they knew is that she was a child of Zeus and she was from California. Sometimes she muttered a name in her sleep, something about a Jaden or Jacob. But Luke was full of stories.

Luke liked to talk about ghosts. He always said that it was because Connecticut was the most haunted state, but Annabeth thought that was just the way he was. One night, as they all huddled around a small fire in their Ohio safehouse, she finally asked.

“Why do you like ghost stories so much?” She demanded, interrupting one such story.

Luke pondered this for a moment, but the smirk-y grin on his face told her that he already knew.

“If we ever want to know anything about the future, we have to know about the past. For gods, it’s easy to mix the two up. But people like us--demigods--we have to be careful. We need to know the pitfalls of every demigod who came before us, because we’re destined to repeat their mistakes. I like ghost stories because they’re easier, but the meaning is the same.”

Annabeth listened, enraptured. Thalia glanced up at the pair and chuffed a laugh, then went back to cleaning her sword. She thought Luke’s stories were childish, but Annabeth thought she was just scared. Not like Luke. Luke wasn’t scared of anything.

“Annabeth, do you know what hubris is?” He asked, catching her attention again.

Annabeth frowned, wracking her brain for an answer. “It’s that thing you eat with pita bread right?”

Luke smiled, but didn’t laugh at her. He never laughed at her.

“No, it’s something all demigods have. It means a fatal flaw. All of us have something that will lead to our downfall if we let it. Like, Icarus flew too close to the sun. Arachne thought she was better than Athena. We’re mortals playing an eternal game.”

“Quit philosophizing. It’s getting late, we should all go to bed,” Thalia chimed in, setting down her sword with a clang.

Annabeth kept looking at Luke. “What’s your hubris?”

Luke didn’t look at her when he answered.

“I don’t know.”

 Living with Luke and Thalia was like camping, except with more people asking them if they were homeless. They found a disposable camera and took photos of all three of them--”just in case,” Luke said.

It all got worse when Thalia got injured. They were in New York, right near Weschester County. From the way he stood and the set of his jaw, Annabeth could tell it hurt for him to be here. Even when Luke talked about Connecticut, he never talked about his family. But now he was buying them Metro-North tickets to Westport, and his hands only shook a little when he handed them to the conductor.

Annabeth leaned against him during the ride, and only when his hand came up to stroke her hair did she drift off to sleep.

Annabeth hated it in Westport. Luke’s house was a lot like her dad’s on the outside, big and fancy. But while Annabeth’s step-mom had a cleaning lady come in every Tuesday, Luke’s house looked like a hurricane had torn through it. And Luke’s mom was scary, but a different scary than monsters. She was like a ghost in the body of a person.

She only had to stay there for a few hours, however, before Luke was tugging her hand and yelling at Thalia and they were on their way out the door. By nightfall, they were at their safehouse in Rhode Island, right by the beach.

Luke went to get firewood, claiming some ocean air would do him good. Soon, it was just Thalia and Annabeth, setting up capm in silence.

“Why did we leave?” Annabeth finally asked. Thalia just grimaced.

“He met his dad,” she said simply, “and it didn’t go well.”

Annabeth nodded, and they finished their tasks in silence.

The Hunters hated Luke, so Annabeth hated them. It was that simple. Thalia seemed to agree, so Annabeth felt no remorse leaving them behind. The three of them were a family, and they’d always be that way.

Grover wasn’t necessarily part of the family, but he was like the kid-next-door who’s always hanging around. He was jumpy and snacked on tin cans and let Annabeth touch his horns when she asked. Within a day, she decided she liked him.

He found them in Vermont, up in the mountains where Annabeth’s dad used to take her for Christmas break. He told them that he could take them to a camp where demigods lived and trained. The trio huddled in the corner and voted, all in favor. So they went, just like that.

Camp Half-Blood wasn’t the same without Thalia, but she didn’t expect it to be. The first few nights, she stayed in the Hermes cabin with Luke. She had top bunk and he had bottom, because he promised to protect her if anything tried to attack her in the night. She believed him, of course. Why wouldn’t she?

The night Annabeth got claimed, the first thing she did was look to Luke, not to her new siblings. She’d still see him, of course, but she’d have to move to the Athena cabin and couldn’t do activities with him anymore.

He gave her a tight-lipped smile, and whispered, “Go.” Lip trembling, she nodded and walked away from the campfire with her new siblings. But no matter what, Luke would be her family.

The first time someone broke her heart, she went to Luke. When she won her first game of capture the flag, she and Luke celebrated with a smuggled-in cake from Dairy Queen. When she decided she wanted to be an architect, Luke offered up his laptop and helped her look at colleges.

When he was sent on a quest, she helped him pack. At ten, she was getting lanky and awkward, but Luke didn’t care. He still tweaked her nose and gently pushed her around like he always had. She watched as he left camp, waited a full five minutes, then turned back to the Big House to go ask Chiron when she could go on her own quest.

When Luke came back with a dragon’s claw, a scar, and something scary in his eyes, she said nothing. Instead, she grinned wide and hugged him tightly and told him everything that happened while he was gone. He ruffled her hair like he always did, but his movements were hollower now.

When Annabeth first saw Percy Jackson, she couldn’t see how this boy was supposed to save them all. She told Luke as much, but he just laughed and continued on with cabin checks.

“You never know, Annabeth. People can surprise you.”

When Percy received the prophecy, Annabeth bounded into Luke’s room, rambling about the quest she would surely be picked for and this boy who was nobody and somebody all at the same time. Luke just nodded as she talked, rustling through his chest. Finally he withdrew an old UCONN Huskies sweatshirt, one that would probably fit him perfectly now.

“Here,” he said simply, handing it to Annabeth. “It’s yours now.”

Wordlessly, she nodded and hugged it close. It would be too big, she knew, but it was a piece of her family. And that was all that mattered.

Annabeth clutched the sweatshirt in her hands as she cried, trying in vain not to let the teardrops stain the old photographs. They had been taken with a disposable camera, the date in the corner from five years before. He was gone, of that she was sure.

In just one day, her knight had become the monster. And now it was her job to solve it all.

[dumbledearme]

chapter thirty-nine—distractions, decisions

read Child of Land and Sea here

Act V — Walking On Water

Part II — I’m down to one last hope and I hope it’s you. Though, kid, you’re not exactly a dream come true.

After breakfast, Andy followed Anthony while he inspected the cabins. He started at the Poseidon cabin where Andy proclaimed she deserved a four out of five, after all she'd just returned to camp and didn't really have time to mess things up yet.

He made a face. "You're being generous," he said pointing at some clothes she had left on the ground.

"Yeah, well... I did make the bed! It's gotta count for something. I never make my bed!"

He considered. "Three out of five," he decided. "Because I like you."

Andy rolled her eyes but knew better than to argue.

The Aphrodite cabin got five out of five, obviously. "Great job as usual, Silena," Anthony told her. She nodded listlessly. The wall behind her bed was decorated with pictures of Beckendorf.

As they crossed the commons area, a fight broke out between the Ares and Apollo cabins. Anthony sighed and ignored them.

"What are they fighting about?" Andy finally asked.

Anthony scribbled on his inspection scroll, giving both cabins a one out of five. "That flying chariot," he said. Andy looked up and saw some Apollo campers armed with firebombs flying over the Ares cabin in a chariot pulled by two pegasi. "They captured it in a raid in Philadelphia last week. Some of Luke's demigods were there with that flying chariot. The Apollo cabin seized it during the battle, but the Ares cabin led the raid. So they've been fighting about who gets it ever since."

"But... We're fighting for our lives," Andy mumbled watching them fight, "and they're just-"

"They'll get over it," Anthony shrugged. "Clarisse will come to her senses."

"When did she ever have any sense?"

They kept walking. Demeter got a four. Hephaestus got a three. They probably should've gotten lower, but with Beckendorf being gone, Anthony cut them some slack. Hermes got a two, which was no surprise.

Finally they got to Athena's cabin, which was orderly and clean as usual. Only Anthony's bunk was messy, covered in papers, and his silver laptop was still running. Malcolm, the second-in-command, suppressed a smile. "Yeah, um... we cleaned everything else. Didn't know if it was safe to touch your things."

Andy grinned. "Four," she told Anthony. "Because I like you."

"Cute," he mumbled and started cleaning up his bunk. He shuffled his papers – mostly drawings of buildings and a bunch of handwritten notes. "What happened to Beckendorf," he started saying, "this whole thing... It makes you think about what's important. About losing people who are important."

Andy sat on the bed crushing some papers. Every time Beckendorf was mentioned, she felt short of breath. "I know."

"Andy..." he was trying to save his notes. "Do you mind...?"

She wasn't even listening. "Is everything cool with your family?"

He glanced at her surprised and nodded. He sat on the ground in front of her. "My dad wanted to take me to Greece this summer," he said wistfully. "I've always wanted to see-"

"The Parthenon."

Anthony smiled. "Yes."

"Maybe one day. If Olympus don't fall," she mumbled.

"Haven't you heard from Grover?" he asked suddenly. "The empathy link and everything?"

Andy shook her head. "Still spreading the word about Pan's death, I'd guess. Tony..." she lowered her voice. "If you were Kronos planning this war, what would you do next?"

"I'd use Typhon as a distraction," he said at once. "Then I'd hit Olympus directly, while the gods were in the West."

She held his eyes. "Last time I went to Rachel's house... In her room, she had... She had this drawing in her wall. The Empire State Building with lightning all around it. In the distance a dark storm was brewing, with a huge hand coming out of the clouds. And at the base of the building a crowd had gathered... An army."

"Andy," he said, "Rachel is just a mortal."

"She's also been drawing a lot of pictures of Luke," Andy insisted. "Of him as a child. How can she know what he looked like? And those other Titans – they said Olympus would be destroyed in a matter of days."

"We'll just have to be ready."

"How? Look at our camp! We can't even stop fighting each other. We're not ready for this. I'm not ready. How am I supposed to know when to get my soul reaped?"

Anthony sighed. "I knew we shouldn't have shown you the prophecy. All it did was scare you."

"I'm not scared. I'm just... Not ready yet."

"But you will be," he said. Anthony stood up and offered her his hand. "Come on."

"You're not gonna finish tiding up the place?"

"What for? You already crushed all my work, Andy," he said, but he was smiling, so she took his hand and followed him outside.

That afternoon they had an assembly at the campfire to burn Beckendorf's burial shroud and say their goodbyes. Silena sat nearby crying, while Clarisse and her boyfriend, Chris, tried to comfort her.

After the shroud had burned completely, Andy excused herself and headed toward the fighting arena where she found her dog, Mrs O'Leary. It was time for her walk. Andy opened the gates of the arena, and Mrs O'Leary bounded straight toward the woods.

Andy jogged after her. When she finally tracked her down, Mrs O'Leary was in a clearing with Juniper, Nico di Angelo and a very fat satyr who wasn't happy to see the hell-hound. "What is this underworld creature doing in my forest? You there, Jackson! Is this your beast?"

"Sorry, Leneus," Andy said.

"Make it go away! Juniper, I will not help you under these circumstances!"

Juniper turned toward Andy. "I was just asking about Grover," she said. "I know something's happened. He wouldn't stay gone this long if he wasn't in trouble."

"I told you," the satyr protested. "You are better off without the traitor."

"He is not a traitor!" Juniper stamped her foot. "He is the bravest satyr ever, and I want to know where he is!"

"I'll walk the dog," Nico offered. He was taller than the last time Andy had seen him. His presence had been quite frequent in her life the past year: he was always coming over her house to try and convince her of certain things... And also because Sally loved to cook for him. He whistled, and Mrs O'Leary bounded after him to the far end of the grove.

"Now," Leneus said, "as I was trying to explain, young nymph, your boyfriend has not sent any reports since we voted him into exile."

"You tried to vote him into exile," Andy corrected him.

"This is none of your business, Jackson!"

"Grover is my friend," she said. "He wasn't lying to you about Pan's death. I saw it myself. You were just too scared to accept the truth."

Leneus's lips quivered. "No! Grover's a liar and good riddance. We're better off without him."

"We need Grover," Andy promised. "There's gotta be a way you can find him with your magic."

"I've heard nothing," the old satyr crossed his arms. "Perhaps he's dead."

Juniper choked back a sob. "He isn't dead," Andy told her. "I would know. Leneus... find him. There's a war coming. Grover was preparing the nature spirits."

"Without my permission! And it's not our war."

In a wave of anger, Andy grabbed him by the shirt. "You listen to me. When Kronos attacks, he's going to have packs of hell-hounds. He will destroy everything in his path. You're supposed to be a leader. So lead. Get out there and see what's happening. Find Grover and bring Juniper good news. Or I'll make you sorry before Kronos has his chance." She didn't push him very hard, but he fell on his furry rump, then scrambled to his hooves and ran away with his belly jiggling. "Was that too much?" Andy asked Juniper.

The nymph wiped her eyes. "I didn't mean to get you involved, Andy. Leneus is still a lord of the Wild. You don't want to make an enemy out of him."

"Trust me, Juniper. I've got worse enemies than over-weight satyrs."

Nico walked back. "Good job, Jackson. Judging from the trail of goat pellets, I'd say you shook him up pretty well."

"I was wondering when I'd see you again. Did you come by just to see Juniper? Or were you hoping to find me?"

The boy blushed. "Uh, yeah... This here was an accident. I sort of dropped in the middle of their conversation."

"You scared us to death!" Juniper said. "Right out of the shadows. Oh, Nico, you're the son of Hades and all! Are you sure you haven't heard anything about Grover?"

He shook his head. "He isn't human or even half-human. If he dies, he will reincarnate into something else in nature. I can't sense things like that, only mortal souls."

"But if you do hear anything...?" she pleaded, putting her hand on his arm. Nico winced. Andy was now used to his embarrassment and discomfort about being touched but Juniper obviously had no idea.

Nico's cheeks got even brighter red. "Um, you bet. I'll keep my ears open," he said taking a step away from her.

"We'll find him," Andy promised. "Grover's alive."

Juniper smiled and poofed into green mist.

"I'm sorry about Beckendorf," Nico said meeting the sea-green eyes.

"You-"

"I talked to his ghost. He doesn't blame you or anything, if that's what you're worried about." A lump formed in Andy's throat; she forced it down. "He figured you'd be beating yourself up, and he said you shouldn't."

She nodded. "What's going to happen to him?"

"He's staying in Elysium. Said he's waiting for someone. Not sure what he meant, but he seems okay with death."

Silena, Andy thought. "What else have you been up to?" she tried to change the subject. "My mom's been asking about you. She wants to try this new recipe... She said you're the best guinea pig in the world."

Nico actually smiled. "Makes me hungry just thinking about it," he admitted. "I've been following leads on my family. Spying on Titans. All sorts of things. But you know what I'm here for."

Andy looked away, fear creeping in her stomach. Ever since Nico first proposed his plan for beating Kronos, she'd had nightmares about it. Then Sally would invite Nico over and he would press Andy for an answer, but she kept putting him off. "I haven't made up my mind."

"I know. But Typhon's coming," he reminded her. "You've got what? A week? Most of the other Titans are unleashed now and on Kronos's side. Maybe it's time for you to make a choice." He glanced toward the camp. "They're no match for the Titan army. You know that. In the end, it'll come down to you and Luke. And there's only one way you can beat him."

"I-"

"You can have the same powers he has," Nico pressed on. "You heard the prophecy. You have no other choice."

Andy frowned. "How do you know I heard the prophecy?"

"I know a lot of things."

Andy raised her eyebrows. Apparently, he knew more than he should. "Well, anyway... You can't prevent a prophecy."

"But you can fight it. You can become invincible."

"Maybe we should wait. I haven't talked to Ant-"

"No!" Nico snarled. "It has to be now!"

Andy stared at him. The boy had a terrible temper. "Why do you want me to do this so bad?"

Nico took a deep breath. "You're the only one who can."

"Why?"

"Because..." he stopped himself. "Look, when the fighting starts, we won't be able to make the journey. This is our last chance. I'm sorry if I'm being too pushy, but Bianca gave her life to save you. To protect you. From the very beginning, you were the chosen one. And I'm gonna do whatever it takes to keep you alive. To... to defeat Kronos."

Andy was surprised he cared so much for her well being since he had spent a long time wanting her dead. "Alright," she gave in. "I do have to make a choice. I have to do something. So tell me what to do."

His cold creepy smile made her sorry she'd agreed. "First, we need to retrace Luke Castellan's steps. We need to know more about his past, his childhood."

"Why?"

"I want to be sure of something," Nico said. "I've already tracked down his mother. She lives in Connecticut."

"He ran away when he was really young," Andy remembered. "I didn't think she was alive."

"Oh, alive she is." The way he said it made Andy wonder what was wrong with her.

"Okay," she said. "How do we get there?"

"We shadow travel."

"We shadow...?"

"I can't do it often," he explained, "and it works best at night, of course. But all shadows are part of the same substance. There is only one darkness, and creatures of the Underworld can use it as a road, or a door."

"I have no idea what you just said."

"No," Nico said. He came toward her, slowly, carefully, and took her hand on his. It was the first time he'd ever touched her out of his free will. His skin was so cold she almost pulled away. "It took me a long time to learn. Close your eyes." He was standing so close Andy was afraid he was going to kiss her like Rachel had, but she did what he said. Then his body turned as cold as the dark side of the moon and Andy felt herself being pulled with him.