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captainsophiestark · 11 months

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Happy Ending

Luke Castellan x Reader

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Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: Percy Jackson

Day 22 Prompt: "Who takes care of you?"

Summary: What if Luke had come by to see Y/N, his pre-betrayal best friend and SO, instead of Annabeth between books 3 and 4?

Word Count: 4,189

Category: Angst, Fluff

A/N: I really loved the vibes of this post by @m4gp13 so this is very loosely inspired by it, even though the main body of the story doesn't have much to do with it lol

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I sighed, staring at the piles of boxes on the floor of my dorm room. The spring semester of my second year of college was just coming to a close, and I still had a lot to do to be ready for everything after it finished. I was moving into my own apartment for the summer, and needed to move from the dorm room to my new apartment. As soon as that was over, I'd planned a visit to Camp Half-Blood, the training camp for heroes I kept going back to, even though I was technically an adult.

I needed to pack everything in my dorm, move it to my apartment, and then be able to unpack everything I'd need for a few weeks visiting camp. This packing job would need to be strategically worthy of Athena.

I'd just barely managed to psych myself up to get started when a knock came at my door. I huffed a sigh, but I really didn't mind the distraction all that much.

"Coming!" I called. I glanced out the peep hole, then froze solid when I saw Luke Castellan staring back at me.

My heart stopped dead in my chest. I looked again and saw he had no monsters with him, at least not visibly, but I couldn't understand why he would come here without them.

Luke had been one of my closest friends in the world since we met as kids, on the run together from our mutually shitty families. We'd met first, then found Thalia and Annabeth after. Luke and I were the same age, and we'd been thick as thieves since day one, Hermes pun intended. As we'd gotten older, a small crush I'd had on Luke had grown massive, and luckily for me he'd returned my feelings. We'd been happily dating and in love ever since, until two summers ago, when he'd betrayed me and every single one of our friends and joined Kronos.

I'd barely talked to him since. We only had contact once and a while, and every time, it went the same way. I was hurt, he was apologetic but not willing to change any of his decisions. Me and the rest of Camp fought him and his monsters, and I tried not to fall apart at the loss of the love of my life.

The distraction provided by college had been a serious, serious relief.

But now, Luke was here. In the middle of space where I very intentionally avoided thinking about him, on my doorstep for whatever reason. And I had no idea what to do.

"Y/N? I know you're in there. I'm here under a flag of truce. I just want to talk."

Just like that, any desire to duck and hide crumbled. The rational part of my brain screamed at me that he could be lying, that this might just be a trap, but I ignored it. After everything we'd been through, if Luke said he wanted to talk, I wanted to hear him out.

I opened the door, and Luke's shoulders sagged with relief when he saw me. I wanted to dart forward and wrap him in a hug, something I hadn't been able to do in two years, but I held myself back. Luke shifted a little from foot to foot, looking incredibly awkward, so after a second's hesitation I stepped to the side.

"Would you like to come in?"

He gave me a suspicious look, like he thought it was a trap or a trick or something. My heart shattered in my chest. How had things gone this wrong, that we stood on opposite sides of the door as basically strangers?

"My house is a mess, because I'm in the middle of packing up to move, but... if you want to talk, Luke, I feel like the hallway isn't gonna be the best place to do it."

He gave me a curt nod, not quite meeting my eyes as he walked past me into my apartment. I glanced down the hallway, taking one last look to make sure we didn't have any lingering monsters, but things were deserted. I sighed and went back into my apartment, closing the door behind me.

I found Luke hovering in the space between the kitchen and the living room, surveying things with a strange look on his face. I moved toward him carefully, not getting too close in case I spooked him.

"Do you want some tea or something? I haven't packed my electric kettle yet-"

"I think tea might take longer than the five minutes I promised."

I turned to look at Luke, raising one eyebrow in challenge, a little bit of our old rapport back. He shifted his weight around and glanced towards the door, then met my eyes again.

"Luke... is some giant monster going to burst through my door in five minutes? Or an army of small monsters, or anything under that general monster-army umbrella?"

"What? No, no, there's... no. I'm here under a flag of truce. There's nothing coming to hurt you, and when I leave... I'll leave."

"Okay then," I said, deciding not to comment on just how shaken and pale Luke looked, at least not right now. "Then I'm giving you a pass on the five minutes. And electric kettles take like two seconds anyway, seriously. They're magical."

Luke huffed, shaking his head as an incredulous smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. My heart squeezed, but I made myself move towards the kitchen and act like things were normal.

"Take a seat, Luke. Or come pick your tea."

Luke took the second option, and my heart doubled its speed when I felt him hovering behind me, closer than we'd been in a long time if you didn't count combat. He leaned over my shoulder to point to the bag of black tea on my counter, and I nodded as I poured the hot water into our cups. I dropped two teabags in each of our drinks, then turned to Luke with a smile.

He stood a little more than a foot from me, and he took the cup from my hands carefully, like he didn't want this bubble of peace and normalcy to burst either. I stared into his beautiful, bright blue eyes, a smile growing on my face again despite myself. I'd missed this. A lot.

The moment lasted another few seconds, and then Luke cleared his throat and looked away. He took a tentative sip of his tea, then looked at me again, his face deadly serious.

"I don't know how to say this. I... I learned some things recently, about some plans I wasn't aware of before."

He paused and took another sip of his tea, and his hand shook a little as he brought the mug away from his lips. Shock coursed through my body as I realized Luke was scared.

"Kronos, he- he's going to use me. He's going to use me to take over the world. This summer... he's going to use me like a stepping stone, until he gets so much power he's unstoppable."

"Luke... what are you saying?"

His eyes had wandered to stare holes in the wall of my kitchen while he'd talked, but now they snapped back to me, wide and full of urgency.

"I'm saying I want to run away. I want us to run away, like the old days. Before... before he gets the chance to carry out his plan."

I stared at Luke for a few minutes, then shook my head, scoffing and pushing past him into the living room of my house. I paced a little, trying to make sense of what he'd just told me. What he'd just asked of me.

"Luke... I don't know what to say!" I finally admitted, completely honest as I turned back to him. He watched me, his expression guarded. "I don't... I don't think I can just run away. Not from the life I've managed to build, not from our friends still here and risking their lives!"

"So that's it, then?" he asked, taking a few steps forward, his tone angry. "Your answer's no?"

I huffed a laugh, staring at anything in the room except for Luke and trying to think. My brain was working a million miles an hour, but I still needed a little bit of time to think things through. But I wasn't sure I had time.

"Okay, Luke, can we sit down for a minute? Actually talk about this?" I said, taking slow steps towards him. I set my mug down on the nearest table, then reached out to gently rest my hands on his. A storm of emotions raged behind his eyes, but he didn't stop me or pull away. "This is a lot to take in all at once. Can we work through this together?"

His jaw worked like he was holding back some retort, but he let me pull him along towards the couch. Slowly, together, we sank down onto the cushions. I only pulled one hand back, and made sure our knees rested against each other, hoping it would do something to help keep Luke grounded.

"I don't want to run," I said simply, meeting his eyes. He opened his mouth, looking ready with an outburst again, but I continued before he could. "But Luke, think about it. Where are we gonna go that he doesn't find you, especially if he wants to? Monsters can sniff us out. We'd never, ever be able to live another day without looking over our shoulders."

Luke's shoulders sagged, and he shook his head miserably as he stared at the half-full mug in his hand.

"Then there's no hope."

"That's not what I said. And it's also not true." Luke scoffed, shooting me a look out of the corner of his eye. I looked right back. "If you don't want to follow through on what Kronos is asking of you, why not just come back with me? To Camp, to my somewhat normal life. I have an apartment with space for two. You could even enroll with me next semester, if you wanted to."

Luke shook his head. He pursed his lips as he raised his head to meet my eyes again.

"And let the Olympians continue exploiting us? Let them keep destroying people and lives because we don't matter to them?"

I huffed a sigh. "Look, I'm not their biggest fan either, but right now it seems like it's 'let Kronos kill you' or 'stop fighting the Olympians'."

Luke shook his head again, more energized this time, more angry. He stared at the wall ahead of us, the same hurt and bitterness I'd seen from him over the years burning in his eyes.

"It's just not right. There should be something we can do. Something that isn't Kronos, but isn't letting the Olympians win."

And just like that, a lightbulb went off in my head.

"Luke... what if there was a way we could do that?"

****************

That night, Luke and I stayed up until almost two in the morning brainstorming and working out the details of my plan. When we finally decided to get some sleep, he stayed with me, and curling up in the same tiny twin bed, falling asleep to the sound of his heartbeat, had me more at peace and ease than I had been in a long, long time.

The next morning, we finalized a few things over breakfast. Then, there was nothing left to do but put our plan into action.

Luke stayed in the apartment, tasked with keeping his head down and finishing packing for me, since I had other places I had to be. Namely, Camp Half-Blood. A little earlier than I'd talked about with Chiron, and hopefully, before the place was crawling with campers for the summer.

Thankfully, it didn't take me too long to get to Camp. I arrived a little after lunch and found the place expectedly deserted. From the top of the hill, I could see some of the year-rounders moving around the lake. I tried to keep them from noticing me as I headed straight for the Big House.

I paused just outside the front door to steel my nerves one last time, then marched inside. I found Chiron and Mr. D sitting together, apparently deep in conference. They both looked up when they noticed me, matching looks of surprise on their faces (although Chiron's had a noticeably happier edge to it).

"Y/N! We weren't expecting you for another few weeks-"

"I'm not staying for long. Something just came up that I needed to talk to you about right away. To both of you, actually, especially Mr. D."

He raised a bored eyebrow in my direction but otherwise didn't move. Chiron motioned to a chair at the table.

"By all means, please."

"That's alright, I think I'll stand," I said. I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders and straightening my spine. I would not back down, wouldn't leave until I'd succeeded. Luke and I's future depended on it.

I took a moment to make very intentional, determined eye contact with Mr. D. His other eyebrow raised.

"I'm here to bargain for a pardon for Luke Castellan."

Silence. Both Chiron and Mr. D just stared at me for a few long moments, then turned to look at each other. Chiron looked concerned, but Mr. D burst out laughing.

"He's a traitor and an enemy of Olympus! This has all been very boring and ridiculous, and a waste of our time. Get out."

Mr. D's last word had a firey threat behind it, but I didn't flinch.

"You and the rest of the Olympians are perfectly aware what a threat Kronos presents. Everybody's getting scared, and they should be. He's got a plan for returning to his Titan form, the one he had before he was defeated the first time, before Zeus cut him apart and cast him into Tartarus. And it's a plan that he can definitely make succeed.

"Luke knows all about this plan. Obviously. And he's willing to defect and tell you all about it, so we can stop it before it happens. But you have to give him a complete pardon, sworn on the River Styx by Zeus."

Mr. D snorted again, this time raising from his chair and taking a few threatening steps towards me. I still didn't back down.

"Y/N, listen," Chiron interrupted, shuffling forward a little bit to stand partially in between me and Mr. D. "If you have information that could save Olympus and the camp-"

"Oh, I have some. Just like Chris Rodriguez had some. But Luke has all of it. And you're not getting any of it without giving him a pardon first."

"Or we could force it out of you before finding your little boyfriend and doing the same to him," said Mr. D, his tone light but his eyes blazing. Chiron started to step in again, but I spoke up before he got the chance.

"You haven't been able to find him this long, you won't be able to find him now. And anybody who knows anything about interrogations knows that torture just plain and simple doesn't work for getting information." Mr. D grunted, but we both knew I had him there. "Besides, if Luke gets his pardon, that means more than just getting all the information from Kronos' former right hand man. It also means that Kronos loses said right hand man, who's been organizing and leading a lot of the work so far."

Chiron and Mr. D shared a look, and I tried not to let it show just how much my heart was racing. For the first time since I'd walked in here, I actually felt a glimmer of hope that my plan might succeed. Chiron turned back to me, the worried look still on his face.

"Y/N... what makes you so confident that Luke wants to defect?"

"He sought me out," I answered simply, trying to dance around his location at least a bit. "He's realizing quickly just how bad Kronos would and could be, and he's scared. Terrified. He wants a way out, so when he found me, he asked me to run away with him. I suggested trying this plan first, mostly so I don't have to leave behind everyone else I love. But also because, this way, you might stand a chance against Kronos that you wouldn't have if we'd left without offering information."

The conversation continued for almost another hour, centered mostly around Mr. D making threats and, when I didn't back down, reminding me that I was trying to demand something of Zeus. He made plenty of good points, but I'd thought through all the ways this plan could go terribly, painfully wrong with Luke before I'd come here. I wasn't going to give in, for anything.

Finally, after restating my points and my argument a few times, Mr. D agreed to bring my request to Mount Olympus. I waited anxiously in the Big House with Chiron, whose brow remained deeply creased the entire time. I didn't engage, intentionally avoiding the conversation he looked like he wanted to have, but I saw him watching me out of the corner of my eye.

I started to get worried as the evening came, but finally, Mr. D reappeared. The first time he'd delivered his news, I honestly hadn't believed him. I asked him to repeat himself, which he rolled his eyes over, but the words were the same. Somehow, by some miracle, I'd managed to succeed.

Zeus was willing to give Luke his pardon in exchange for information and defecting.

I wasn't a complete idiot, so made sure the terms were clear when Mr. D brought me to Olympus to witness the oath. The words covered any retaliation, punishment, or harm that might come to Luke, and completely prevented it. Zeus spoke the words and the sky rumbled with lightning. I tried not to shake in relief or from the adrenaline dump as I bowed and promised he wouldn't regret his decision. Hermes shot me a grateful look on my way out, and I returned his nod. He'd been awful to Luke, but we were aligned in not wanting to see him dead, and I got the feeling Hermes had been helpful in pleading my case.

When we returned to the Big House, I headed for the door as quickly as possible, promising to bring Luke back with me in a week when I'd been planning to return anyway. I still had to move out and then move in to a new place again, and Luke had assured me that week of time wouldn't cost the war.

I raced back home, breaking almost every traffic law in the process, but I didn't care at all. I called out to Luke from the hallway, so he wouldn't be scared when I flung the door open, then rushed to wrap him in a giant hug. We sank to the floor together, crying in relief, and stayed like that for a long, long time.

The next week felt like a dream. Luke and I finished packing up my old apartment, then moved together into the new one, which we'd started calling 'ours'. We had to duck monsters a few times, and Luke was still in significant danger, but this time we were on the same side. As we settled into our new place on the last night before we were supposed to head back to camp, I quite literally couldn't have been happier.

It was a little strange returning to camp with Luke, but I quickly got over my own concerns when I saw how tense he was. I held his hand the whole way in, and thankfully, we'd still managed to get here before most of the summer campers. Luke and I sat shoulder to shoulder in the Big House while he told Mr. D and Chiron everything about Kronos and his operation. It took hours, and I could tell Luke struggled to get a lot of it out. But he did.

It had taken long enough that we decided to stay the night, even though I could see Luke clearly didn't want to. We stayed in the Big House, and the next morning, we finished the last of the intel-sharing before heading back home.

Chiron stopped Luke on the way out the door with a hand on his shoulder and said he was so happy to have Luke back. Luke just nodded, but I squeezed his hands as I noticed a single tear making its way down his cheek as we left.

"You know..." I said as we climbed in the car. I was driving, and Luke stared determinedly out the window. "Chiron's probably not the only one who'd be happy to have you back. There might be some apology tour type-stuff, but for the most part... I think you'd get a warm welcome home."

Luke just gave a noncommittal grunt, and I let it go. That was a bridge we could cross later.

For now, we still had one final part of our plan to put into action.

The reason Luke had joined Kronos in the first place was because he'd been neglected by his Olympic parent, especially since his mortal parent had been in such a bad place. He'd discovered the hard way that Kronos was no better alternative, but the fact remained that the gods used their mortal children at best, and at worst completely ignored them for their entire lives.

We needed to find a third option, some middle ground way to make things better. So, we decided to be the change we wanted to see.

As legal adults with a newly moved-in apartment that had a decent amount of space, we had the power to make our home a space for demigods who had nowhere else to go. If their immortal parents were neglecting them and things weren't good with their mortal parent either, they could come to us. For a little while, or to stay for good. We made our own little sanctuary, then shared it with all the kids like us who'd needed it.

Over time, the operation expanded, and we moved into a bigger apartment with more space. Thanks in part to Luke and I, Camp Half-Blood won the war, and we were able to do even more once Kronos stopped being a threat. What had started as not much more than a dream of doing good had turned into a loud, busy, happy house with people constantly coming and going.

Which is how we'd ended up in an alleyway talking to a scared teenager, after helping defeat a monster who'd been bearing down on him.

"Who takes care of you?" asked Luke, a sympathetic and understanding frown on his face as we stood a little ways from the kid. We didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but we'd gotten good at spotting the signs of a young Half-Blood in distress and helping them.

"I take care of myself," the kid spit. I tried not to glance at Luke.

"We used to do that, too," I said, moving a little closer to Luke. "We both ran away from home, survived on the streets, although I guess we really took care of each other."

"Now, we take care of people like you," Luke continued, right where I'd left off. "Do you know what you are?"

The kid hesitated, then half shook his head. He at least had some idea, then.

"You're a Half-Blood," I said. "Half mortal, half immortal Olympian god."

"...What?"

"Look, I know it's a lot to process," said Luke. "But the longer the three of us sit in this alley, the more likely it is another monster's gonna come and pick a fight."

We managed to get the kid up and moving, heading back for our apartment. On the way, we explained more about the Olympians, and told him about Camp Half-Blood.

"It's a good place to get training, and to meet other Half-Bloods like you," I said. "A place for heroes."

"It's only one option, though," Luke added. The kid nodded, looking a little overwhelmed but excited as we stopped outside our apartment door.

"And... what's the other option?"

Luke and I shared a smile, then he pushed open the door to our apartment.

Inside, we were immediately greeted with a wave of noise and excitement. We'd left Ethan Nakamura, one of the Half-Bloods Luke had met away from camp, in charge, and he'd been leading the rest of our group in basic combat lessons.

"What... what is this place?"

"A place for normal kids who need somebody to take care of them," Luke answered. "You'll still get training, since monsters will always be trying to kill you."

"But we won't ever ask anything of you, other than to do your own damn dishes," I said. "No dangerous quests, no tribute to the gods. Just our own little makeshift family going through life together."

Luke put his arm around me, pulling me into his side and kissing my temple as Ethan noticed our newcomer and waved him over to join in the fun. Luke and I stayed where we were, watching the bubble of happiness we'd made together with smiles on our faces. We'd gone through hell and back to get here, but as far as I was concerned, every moment of pain had been worth it for Luke and I's happy ending.

****************

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calliopeslyrics · 3 months

Text

the wonder of you

pairing: luke castellan x daughter of Ares!reader

word count: 5.9k

warnings: none :)

summary: capture the flag is a big deal to you, too bad luke keeps trying to distract you.

There’s a scent of fear and something stronger in the air when you step foot onto the field, your armor clad body already sweaty under the sweltering summer sun. Everyone is mingling, talking amongst their teams though the snippets of conversation you caught were about anything but Capture the Flag.

Army….monsters….Kronos

There was something else on everyone's minds these past couple of weeks, the lingering anxiety over a war that was supposedly brewing unbeknownst to anyone in Camp Half Blood and Mount Olympus. The oracle had given a cryptic prophecy, though the exact words were lost within the translations from story to story depending on the camper you asked.

Some of the Hermes children had heard that there was a host body that was slowly resurrecting the titan king himself, slowly gathering bits and pieces of bodies in order to resurrect his body. Mr. D was quick to shut that rumor down, threatening the next person who spread another rumor with a month’s worth of chores.

Other children of Apollo theorized that the oracle was not speaking of a war but another sibling rivalry between the gods, the kind that had Zeus throwing tantrums in the form of thunderstorms and Poseidon flooding cities out of pure pettiness. The only son of Poseidon was also quick to shut that idea down, claiming his own dreamless nights as proof that the gods were fine and didn’t need help.

Regardless of who you asked, the unspoken worries were evident - a war among the gods was brewing. A shiver went down your spine at the mere thought of fighting a war with these campers - most of them too young to even drive yet but not young enough to wield a sword, to kill and die for a taste of glory.

A horn sounded and both teams roared in response, clanking their weapons against their shields in response to the horn. Beside you, Clarisse clanged her spear against the ground, the familiar crackling of electricity stemming from the tip. A gift from your father, the god of War, though lately his true colors had been showing.

Ares had been silent these past couple of months, hiding away from the prayers and pleas of his children for Gods know what. It wasn’t unlike him to be absent in his children’s lives but this type of silence was worrying, especially for the god who loved to taunt. The Aphrodite cabin had the same trouble, and the only common theory both cabins could come up with was that Ares and Aprodite were swindling together.

But days turned to weeks and when the weeks turned to months, both cabins suspected there was something more sinister happening. Ares was never at the forefront of a battlefield, but he was always present when a fight was happening. And if he wasn’t showing up for the brawls within Camp Half Blood, you could only guess what bigger fight your father was preparing for in Mount Olympus.

The sound of Chiron’s monotonous voice pulled you out of your worried thoughts. It was the same as every year, with him repeating the rules of Capture the Flag and putting emphasis on the no maiming rule with a pointed glare. Your team murmured in response, unhappy with the calling out of who was responsible for last year’s punishment. Though it was partially your fault for targeting the new kid from the Apollo cabin, Chiron’s rules were the last thing on your mind.

You’ve been having vivid dreams for the past couple of days - dreams that felt so real you were unsure if you were living through them or not. No one knew of them, not even Chiron or Mr. D. You weren’t sure why you were hiding these dreams from everyone, perhaps in fear of what exactly your dreams entailed or in fear of what will happen after they’re revealed.

A battlefield stood before you, barren yet the wind that blew past you sounded eerily like the clanging of swords against shields. If you listened closely, you could hear commands being shouted in ancient greek. The ground was stained with the blood of men who were born and died long before Camp Half Blood was founded - when wild men and beasts fought on the same land.

The land before you came alive, the ground soaking with blood as the sound of shattering bones and groans of agony echoed throughout the space. Somewhere above you a vulture circled the air, hissing in warning. Everything within you was warning you of something - a monster of some sort, maybe from the depth of Tartarus.

Bones rattled around you, bodies with missing bones and parts forming into a legion. Skulls found a spine which found femurs and humeruses. One by one, soldiers stood in formation until an army of the undead was complete. A soldier clad in armor stood before you, armor polished and muscled body - a general of some sorts or maybe someone higher in command.

Primal fear coursed through your body as he glowered down at you, shadows casting over his face. You knew who he was, what this person was capable of doing. Scars littered this body, deep slashes and shallow cuts adorning along the arms and legs of the soldier but the face was completely clean - as if no one could come close.

The lord of bloodshed, the curse of mortals incarnate, the god of war - Ares.

You kneeled before your father, bowing your head slightly to the ground in greeting. He barely glanced in your direction, an acknowledgement and dismissal. ``You’re not ready,” he said gruffly, smoke puffing out of his mouth. You scrunched your nose in distaste at the cloud of smoke, the smell of burnt cigarettes lingering in the air.

Ares was never much of a talker, more of a man that spoke with fists and blood than words. Violence was his specialty, as it was with you and Clarisse and all of your half blooded siblings. But still, the bluntness of his words never ceased to have you stewing in a bad mood for the next few days and you found that you’ve inherited his harsh way with words.

“You’ve ignored me for so long, what make you think I’ll listen to your opinion of my readiness?” You scoffed, a little too boldly for your father’s liking. You stayed on your knees, though you raised your gaze to the god of war. His jaw clenched and his hand curled into a fist at the disrespect, but he didn’t strike.

Ares ignored your question, hardened eyes gazing past you. His focus was somewhere else, analyzing the battlefield with the gaze of an experienced general. Centuries of war and bloodshed flashed through his face - regret, anger, pain flickering in his eyes.

You’ve never seen your father experience such emotions in a short amount of time. He was always hot headed, with a clenched jaw and sharp tongue that often got himself in more trouble than he could handle. But he was never remorseful, never apologized for what he said or did or hurt.

“I know when my soldiers are ready,” he said, voice laced with the sternness of a general. You tried to mask your face with a mask of boredom, though his words stung. Soldiers, not children. Even after being claimed you could never get your father’s approval, not even after all this time.

Still, you were your father’s daughter - you’re stubborn and hot headed and brash. Backing away from fights was not your strong suit, so you stood up on your own accord and straightened your back. “I’m ready,” you said confidently, maybe too confidently for someone who loses sleep over nightmares.

Ares barely gave you a passing glance, a half scoff escaping his lips. More smoke filled the air and burned your lungs, but you didn’t complain. Ares didn’t like whiny losers. “You’re weak - worthless,” he grunted, the grip on his spear tightening. The muscles in his arms bulged at the slightest movement, and it took every part of you to avoid staring at the deep gashes along his biceps. “Not even close to reaching your potential.”

You scowled at his words, at the cold bluntness in his tone. Never in your life had someone speak to you that way, with such little interest. “I’m not sure I’m following…” you said, daring to glance away from your father. The vulture at his feet stared at you, its beady eyes staring deep into your soul and very being.

“The greatest warriors didn’t need an extra push from their parents to be as great as they are now,” Ares said gruffly, . The soldiers behind him didn’t even budge from their positions, unfazed of the dispute before them. Maybe their physical forms were present but they needed directions in order to move, as if they were nothing more than puppets for your father to use as he pleased.

You shifted your weight from one foot to the other. You didn’t like how Ares was speaking to you, like you were benched for your lack of participation. Sure, you haven’t gone on an extreme quest to gain greatness in a while but you’ve been beating your own record at target practice with all the weapons available.

“Achilles was training under Chiron before he fought in the Trojan War,” you pointed out. You remembered Chiron’s bedtime stories to the younger campers, of all the heroes he’d trained centuries ago. The Athena cabin had hosted a trivia night a couple months ago, and the Ares cabin had gotten a decent amount of points in the Ancient Battlegrounds and Armory topics.

Ares rolled his eyes at the mention of the Greek hero. It was clear his grudge against the Greek army still hadn’t faded away even after all these years. “And then he refused to challenge Hector because he was too cowardly to fight,” he added snarkily, disgust evident on his face.

You searched your brain for more heroes, more stories that had victory in some sort of way. Death, failure, cursed forever, there weren’t many, and you hated your ancestry for that. “Didn’t Heracules have multiple trainers?” you crossed your arms. You had also recalled the countless stories of Greek heroes Chiron had drilled into your heads.

Ares clicked his tongue, as if he suddenly remembered the name. You are sure that he didn’t even remember your name, though you tried not to think negatively about the deity before you. “Ah, was that before or after he slaughtered his family and cowardly ran away from his actions,” he tilted his head, glaring down at you with the same beady eyes as the vulture. He shared the same wild look in his eyes, the patience to wait for death to strike his prey.

A shiver ran down your spine, though you held his stare. You wondered if he could sense the confusion and hesitation within you,or if he counted it as fear. If they both made an adrenaline course through your veins, did it really matter?

Did this conversation even matter? Slight annoyance surged through you, at this useless dream your father decided to join. He’d been silent for so long only to come back and talk about how worthless you are. “Why are you telling me this? What’s the point?” you asked, exhaustion evident in your tone. You supposed having a war of attrition with the god of war wouldn’t go well on your part. A small part of you knew that your father thought the same.

For once, Ares didn’t scoff or roll his eyes at your question. He seemed surprised at your question, as evident by the slight raise of an eyebrow. Maybe he wasn’t used to being questioned, or maybe he expected more of a fight from you. “Every hero has a weakness. It’s inevitable.” he said sternly.

You faltered. Was that what this was all about? Weakness? A small pang of hurt echoed in your chest - did Ares think you were that weak? Was he so concerned about your mortality that he had to warn you to be extra safe?

“I don’t have a weakness,” you huffed, crossing your arms stubbornly. You prided yourself in handing out more punches than receiving them, especially when sibling rivalry peaks during competitive seasons. “Achilles had his heel and pride, Heracules was a coward, Jason was unloyal. But I’m not like them - I’m better-”

“You’re not,” Ares interrupted, his spear crackling with power. You stared at the sheer power your father held, even in his mortal form he still exuded raw power and authority. If this much power made your body tremble, you could only imagine how Zeus was. “But I don’t want you to be exploited,” he said.

You faltered at his words. Ares cared, in his sick and twisted way, about you. He didn’t want his own kin to share the same fate as the reckless heroes from the past, not when he has greater expectations. Something like pride swelled within you - the same pride that killed Achilles. “I won’t let anyone close enough to exploit my weakness.”

“Keep it that way,” Ares nodded in what seemed like approval. You wondered if he would ever utter the words I’m proud of you in his lifetime, or if this was as close as you would get. You didn’t bother asking, not wanting to push your luck with your father.

With a click of its beak, the vulture took to the sky, circling you from above. Ares turned his attention to the army of dead soldiers and gave them a salute. The soldiers saluted back and turned to their heels, slowly walking back into the very dirt that had buried them for centuries.

The smell of smoke and burning flesh burned your nose and lungs, but you could still sense Ares somewhere. He wasn’t gone yet but he was leaving, just like that. Panic swarmed your head, he couldn’t leave not when he’s been missing for weeks now. “Wait! Don’t go!” You called out, taking a step forward. Your foot stayed stuck in the dirt, keeping you in place as you struggled to walk towards the god of war. “Please! Don’t leave!”

The desperation in your voice must’ve been evident because Ares turned around, giving you an almost sympathetic look. It looked equally as intimidating as his war face, canines on display and wild eyes staring right at you. Perhaps it wasn’t a look of sympathy but of mercy, the kind you give to a soldier choking on their own blood on the battlefield before ending his misery.

“I’ll be back when you win,” Ares promised. His spear crackled once more in response before he disappeared completely, leaving nothing but giant footprints in his place.

A hand on your shoulder snapped you out of your thoughts, and you jumped at the sudden attention. Beside you was your half sister Clairesse, her shirt sleeves rolled up to her shoulders to prominently display her tanned arms. Her muscles flexed with each movement, her casual movements turned into threatening actions.

“You ready?” Clairesse asked, her eyes practically glittening with excitement. She had also had some dreams, though hers were more promising. Apparently Clairesse had seen your father and promised him victory for today’s game. Ares gave her no response, but the determined look in your sister’s eyes gave you confidence for today’s game.

You nodded, schooling your face into a look of confidence despite the sweat that slipped down your face. Gods, you hated the heat more than the miserable cold that winter always brought. You tried not to think about Ares’ words to you - when you win. Another giant weight on your shoulders, as if this wasn’t enough. “Did Dad give you any sign this morning?” you asked, glancing over at your team.

There seemed to be more campers this year than any other - a sign that Chrion took as the Gods accepting more of their children into their lives. While some demigods were excited to be claimed, others were weary of the sudden change of heart of the once negligent Olympians. You didn’t complain, though. The Ares cabin had been thriving with the influx of newly claimed siblings and as a result, your team seemed bigger than it was last year.

Clairesse shifted her weight from one foot to another, the only hint of nervousness she’d show. You took her silence as a no and moved your attention to your armor, double checking each strap and handle to avoid the awkwardness of the conversation.

The children of Ares were never good with their words, preferring to show their emotions through physical means regardless of how lighthearted the emotions really were. It was as much as a gift as it was a curse, and you could only blame your cowardly father for granting you emotional instability as part of your heritage.

Your armor was strapped tight, hanging onto your body as the worn leather burned in the sunlight. It was centuries old, scratches and slight holes denting through the front layer, though you doubted you’d need the protection. The center of your leather plated chestpiece spray painted red, as if your team’s intimidating aura wasn’t enough to indicate which side you were on.

Across from you was the opposing team, their leather armor marked in blue as they stood in perfect formation. They were always the more organized team between you two, thanks to their team leaders that kept everyone in shape just for this moment. Amongst the crowd of young campers, you could spot Luke standing front and center, flanked by Annabeth Chase of the Athena cabin.

You could see the girl point to her temple, giving Luke a knowing smile and nod of approval at something he had said. Your heart fluttered at the sight of Luke in his armor, his helmet barely covering his face that you knew had a determined look. He always took Capture the Flag as seriously as any other child of Ares and Athena, always determined to prove himself again and again as the best swordsman and maybe something more.

As if sensing your stare, Luke glanced over Annabeth’s shoulder, a small smile creeping onto his face as he caught your gaze. You flushed at his gaze but blamed the heat. Luke was more of a headache to you than a friend, though he was one of the older campers that was more similar in age to you than anyone else.

You smiled back at Luke, cracking your knuckles in response and pointing at Luke in case he didn’t get the hint. Luke chuckled, his helmet shaking slightly at your threat. A sense of pride filled your chest at making Luke break the character of the serious camp counselor of the Hermes cabin, a feat only few could claim as a success.

As usual, the Aphrodite cabin was in charge of leading the opponents frontline men away from the flag, taking them as far as they could before raising suspicion. Those who could charmspeak or change appearances were spread out within your ranks while the others followed their head camper’s lead towards your fake flag.

Your cabin, the Ares cabin, was on the front lines, as always. Armed with magic weapons and a madness that could only happen during the heat of battle, the children of Ares were always theIf anyone could get past the Athenan and Hermes children. The brutes of Cabin 5, you called yourselves with pride.

Clarisse glanced over at you, smirking at you as everyone got into position. Her spear crackled with electricity, the prominent tip glowing in warning and promise of pain. “Don’t get cold feet now,” she teased, her voice full of confidence. Her eyes seemed to glow with excitement, the mere thought of knocking down campers without repercussion always gave the children of Ares more of a reason to look forward to this event - this time even more so.

Today was a big deal, both to the reigning champs of the previous years and the reigning losers of your team. Today, you’d turn the tide, claiming victory over capturing the flag for the first time in three years. Your cabin needed to win, you needed to win. The Ares cabin needed to prove themselves worthy of your father’s attention once more after that embarrassing loss the year before to the huntresses of Artemis.

You remembered the way your father ignored every prayer and offering sent to him, how the Ares Cabin became the laughing stock of camp once your siblings started to lose at even the most basic camp games. Capture the Flag, sparring exercises, even sharpening your weapons seemed to be a harder task than usual.

You knew your role, it was the same one as last year and the year before that - find Luke and prevent him from advancing. It was easier said than done - children of Hermes were always the first to race across the map, quick and nimble on their feet. And you knew Luke would lead his group towards your side of the forest, using his winged shoes to give him the advantage of speed.

The sound of a horn sounded for a second time - the final warning before the game would start- and you sucked in a small breath as you heard the distant rumbling of your siblings and teammates racing to their positions. While Clarisse and the rest of the more aggressive demigods cut a clear path to the blue team’s site, you’d take a detour towards Luke’s site and keep him distracted until your team claimed victory.

Easier said than done.

Without a second to spare, you sprinted towards Luke’s direction, following him into the entrance of the forest. He was already way ahead of you, zig zagging through the trees and brush as you ran behind him, laughing mockingly at your speed. The fluttering of his winged shoes trailed ahead, almost a distant sound until you could catch up - another rub in your face at your slowness.

Luke’s red Converse was the only thing you could spot, a red blur that left you constantly looking around. Gods, he was fast. One second he was straight ahead then he was cutting left through the lake, his voice echoing from one side of the forest to the other.

You huffed at Luke’s speed but continued forward, your feet carrying you as fast as you could go towards the red shoes. Your armor bounced against your body, clashing against your own sword as you gained speed towards the bright red just up ahead.

Right as you approached the lake, you frowned. There was silence, an eerie emptiness surrounding you as if there was no one around. You held your breath, waiting for the flapping of the winged shoes to appear for you to follow once more, but the only other sound that accompanied you was the water gently crashing upon the shore. It was as if Luke was never there, the sand and rocks beneath your feet undisturbed save for your footprints.

A branch snapped somewhere behind you and you whirled around, sword in hand as you scanned your surroundings. There was no way Luke led you to a separate area, an alternate plan to the one your team had created. You grit your teeth in annoyance, blaming Annabeth Chase for thinking of a way to counter your plan.

Another branch snapped on your left and you turned around again, your sword humming to life at your growing annoyance. This couldn’t be Luke, he wasn’t the type to stalk and hide his opponents. Whoever this was, they were treating you like prey, as if you were the lesser one in this fight. If you couldn’t get a hit on this person, your heating sword would at least throw this person off your trail for a bit.

The next thing you knew, you were tackled to the ground, rolling into the lake with the attacker. Their arms wrapped around your back, holding you tightly against their body as you thrashed against their hold, cursing in Greek with every breath you could get out. You exchanged a series of punches and kicks with your attacker, both of you hitting the hard ground with each tumble you took until you finally landed into the water.

With a grunt, you lunged at the person, revenge the only thing on your mind. You toppled over the person, gripping their neck and giving it a threatening squeeze with all your strength. You didn’t care much for the rules, not when this punk - whoever they were - decided to embarrass you during your hunt.

“If I knew this was how you’d react to getting tripped, I would’ve done it sooner,” the culprit crooned, and you sneered at the amused tone of their voice. This had to be one of the Stoll brothers, you’d know that annoying tone anywhere. With no gentleness, you tugged their helmet off, not caring that your nails were basically scratching at their face. It’d be the least of their worries once you’re done with them.

Instead of meeting the gaze of one of the annoying Stoll brothers, you stared at Luke Castellan - your biggest headache in all of Camp Half Blood. With a scowl, you tossed Luke’s helmet at his face, ignoring the way your heart pounded wildly at his carefree smirk as he caught his helmet with one hand.

Gods, if he were some other camper they would’ve gotten a beating from you just for talking to you like that. But Luke? He was the exception, always. You don’t know when he started to be the only person you could tolerate, maybe it was when he first beat you at the sword fighting arena, maybe it was when you landed a blow to his face the first time you fought and he laughed at the bruise that formed days later.

All you did know is that he was just another person that annoyed you and maybe even a friend.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook for that move, Castellan.” you warned, letting your hands drop to your side as you rose from the water. He only gave you a roll of his eyes and grinned at your words, as if he knew that he’d always be off the hook when it came to you. Without another word, you searched for your sword, hands searching along the shore at your feet for your blade.

Besides your quick temper, the only other gift you had gotten from your father was a sword that grew hot with your mood. It was efficient when you were in a bad mood, which hardly happened when you were teasing Luke during the games. He was your weakness, and a small part of you hated yourself for having one in the beginning.

The greatest heroes never had weaknesses, you told yourself. You reminded yourself of your conversation with Ares - Achilles, Hercules, Jason. They were arrogant and disrespected the gods. You were better than that, better than all of them combined. You had to be.

“All’s fair in love and war, right?” He smirked as he rose from the water, carefully wringing the water from his soaking curls. His armor and clothes clung to his body, giving you the exact shape of his arms, his chest, his everything. You bit the inside of your cheek from saying stupid and turned your attention to your missing sword.

It must’ve fallen from your grip while you were tumbling along the shore, humming somewhere beneath your feet. You felt the warmth of your blade and let out a small sigh of relief when you finally retrieved it, your blade slowly cooling with your mood. You’d have to clean it once you got back to your cabin, you thought more to yourself as you shook some of the water off of your sword. Maybe the Hephestus cabin can help with that, you thought bitterly.

“Too bad I don’t love you then,” you replied smoothly, wringing the water out of your hair. You tried to ignore the soaking feeling of your clothes sticking to your body and the added weight to your armor. Love was such a strong word, the most similar to your most commonly said word hate. Was all truly fair in love and war, even after everything your own father had gone through for the goddess of love?

Luke stayed silent, as if he didn’t have a response for once. You both let the drip, drip, drip of the water fall from your clothes, filling the silence. For once, you didn’t mind the quiet. There was something comforting in it, like you both didn’t need to say anything in order to keep each other company.

“You realize we’re the only ones here because our teams are trying to get us together, right?” Luke said, hands on his hips as he wrung the water out of his own clothes. You tried to ignore how close his shirt was to his torso, clingy desperately onto his toned chest and arms. Luke’s own cheeks flushed, whether from the fall or your attention you didn't know, but you didn’t comment on it.

You shrugged, huffing out a disbelieving laugh. You’d suspected that your teammates were up to something when they started to push for you to take a path on your own instead of leading your own unit like usual. But when Clarisse brought up that you wouldn’t need the campers to find Luke, you agreed. It seemed like a good point at the time but looking back, you could definitely see why she was so pushy to get you to go on a separate route where only Luke would be.

“What are you trying to say?” You asked, raising a brow at Luke. You busied yourself with the straps of your armor, checking the already tied straps for imaginary tears and rips along the fabric. Your hands shook at his words, at the implication of what he’s saying, at what your teams are plotting for both of you.

There was no way Luke caught onto this plan before you, not when he’s busy tending to claimed and unclaimed children most of the day. Not when he’s the first person to rise in the morning and the last to go to bed, going as far as to wish you goodnight while you finish your nightly workout. Not when his spot is always beside yours during the campfire sing-a-long and volunteers to be your partner during sparring lessons.

There was just no way, you told yourself. Luke is a headache, and nothing more.

As if he was reading your thoughts, Luke gave you a knowing look and you rolled your eyes at him. He was so annoying, with his stupid smirk and disarming laugh, but a small part of you didn’t mind that it was always directed towards you.

“Do I need to spell it out for you?” he asked with a huff, cheeks reddened at your obliviousness - or was that from the heat? The more you teased and talked to Luke the more the lines blurred between you two. Did friends always make your heart skip a beat, especially when they made eye contact with you?

You shrugged, not trusting your own voice to carry an air of nonchalant when you didn’t even feel relaxed. The last thing you needed was to give Luke another reason to poke fun at you until you turned red.

“Go out with me,” he said softly, eyes full of hope. His teasing tone was gone, even his smirk was completely wiped. For a moment, you saw Luke’s true feelings, his mask wiped from his face for once - completely vulnerable and utterly smitten for a daughter of Ares.

You hummed in response, your own heart pounding wildly at his words. Was this what you wanted to hear after months of pining and teasing, of lingering glances and touches? You knew the answer, you knew what you wanted to say so badly.

But the game came first, you needed this win before you could do anything else in your life. There’d be no point in trying to live your life if Ares didn’t acknowledge you again. “Go out with me, what?” you asked, desperately trying to stall for time. Your team should’ve gotten the flag already, so why are they taking so long to come back?

“Please,” he breathed out, wasting no time by playing along. Your heart skipped a beat at his willingness to ask so softly and sweetly. Luke was too good for you, always the first one to lend a hand and the last one to ask for something in return.

You didn’t know how to phrase the words I’d like to. Everything within you was made to destroy, crafted with bloodied knuckles and never ending bruises. You were not sweet by any means, hardly like the smooth talking Aphrodite cabin or the eloquently spoken Apollo cabin. You were everything everyone hated about Ares, more fluent in violence than anything else.

But if Ares could find solace in the laughter loving goddess even if his scarred hands were harsher than her softened ones, you supposed you could find solace in Luke Castellan too.

Somewhere in the distance, people screamed in victory and a horn sounded. The thundering sound of weapons clanking against shields came closer and closer. Among the trees, you could spot a blue flag held up high as surrounding campers cheered and barked in celebration. Your team had gotten the flag - the Ares cabin had redeemed themselves once more.

A small smile tugged at your lips as you watched your half siblings celebrate in victory. Among the already forming crowd was Clarisse, electric spear in the air as she let out a war cry. The campers with red painted armor followed her cry and raised their own weapons in the air, the sound of dozens of demigods yelling out echoing throughout the forest.

“Ask me that tomorrow,” you said softly, fixing your gaze back to Luke. The softness in his features were replaced with confusion, his brows furrowing and a small frown tugging at his lips instead of his smile. It took almost all of your willpower not to laugh at the sudden change of his expression.

“Tomorrow?” he sighed in disbelief, defeat in his eyes at your statement. You nodded, amused at his deflated look. He looked so small like this, his personality completely different from the carefree and easy going guy that strolls through camp. It didn’t suit him, you wanted him to smile again, to give you that love stricken face you mistakenly took for teasing. “Don’t play with me, just answer the question.”

“I believe you’ll be busy with kitchen duty tonight,” you said with a smile, nodding towards your team. Clairesse was still waving the stolen flag in the air with the echoes of cheers surrounding her. Right behind your team, Annabeth looked defeated, rubbing at her face as she talked to Percy Jackson about who knows what. The son of Poseidon glanced over at you and Luke and gave you a thumbs up, as if he were also part of this plan. You didn’t doubt it. “So ask me again tomorrow.”

Luke smiled at your statement, newfound hope gleaming in his eyes as you made your way to your siblings. They roared in excitement, lifting the flag and some hitting their helmets against yours in celebration.

You laughed for the first time in a long while, a new sense of freeing happiness and excitement washing over you. There was something new in the air, at least between Luke and you, and it was a four lettered word that started with the letter L.

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