blood of the gods .

        she’s a little breathless and very thirsty, so she’s glad once luke calls a break. setting her sword down gently, the blonde sits herself down on the edge of the arena to catch her breath, eyes setting on the horizon. thankfully, the camp borders protected them from the damage, but she could see and hear (if she listened hard enough) the loud awful storm cursing the outside of their perimeters. thunder was evident and bright, slashing across the dark skies every few minutes or so. she’d admittedly seen this kind of weather before a couple times, but for some reason tonight felt different. like zeus was truly losing it up there. “what do you think has him so mad tonight?” annabeth asks after a long sip of her water bottle, urging silently for luke to come sit beside her. as long as he didn’t sit too close, she’d be fine. right? yeah. she could handle herself around him. 

for @campmartyr​ because your tricks don’t work on me fool

𝐋𝐔𝐊𝐄  𝐖𝐈𝐏𝐄𝐒  𝐀  𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑  𝐎𝐅  𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐓  𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌  𝐇𝐈𝐒  𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐖 ,  and  plunks  down  beside  her ,  angling  his  sword  against  the  adjoining  wall .  The  sky  quakes  near  the  edge  of  the  camp’s  borders ,  and  even  under  the  umbrella  of  the  enchantment ,  electricity  permeates  the  air ,  making  the  hairs  on  his  arms  stand  on  end .  Zeus  has  finally  taken  notice ,  but  it’s  too  LATE .  Luke  enjoys  the  bitter  surge  of  victory ,  as  the  god  illustrates  his  fury ,  and  buries  his  smile  behind  his  canteen  of  water  by  taking  a  sip .   ❝   Don’t  know .  He’s  never  needed  much  of  a  reason  BEFORE ,  though ,  has  he ?   ❞   His  stomach  grumbles ,  and  he  remembers  that  he’d  forgotten  to  eat  dinner  earlier  in  the  dining  pavilion .  Distracted  by  the  run - in  he’d  had  with  Ares ,  he’d  picked  at  his  food  after  making  an  offering  to  the  gods ,  still  feeling  the  sting  of  Kronos’  rebuke  for  being  caught .  In  the  end ,  though,  it  still  won’t  stop  them . 

He  switches  on  a  softer  grin ,  and  loops  an  arm  across  her  shoulders ,  giving  them  a  small  squeeze .   ❝   How  are  you  feeling ?  You  have  a  good  time  on  the  field  trip ?   ❞

that shock was all he needed,   before any brightness in his eyes snuffed out like a flame.      it was a strange sort of confirmation to have;    that he could still reach luke.    it made him wonder where he had failed to before,   and no response was comfort enough.     defiantly,    he stands taller,    and keeps riptide raised for immediate battle,    should it break out.          ❝          nothing is bigger than annabeth.          ❞         percy said sharply.    he remembered the way annabeth’s fist had felt against his jaw,    or how weightless he had felt,   when she’d thrown him against the floor.        her name was enough to turn the air acrid,    on the edge of smoke.         ❝        how can you say that,    when you’re a puppet to kronos?      nobody’s using me.     i’m not here for the gods,    luke,     i’m here for my mom.           ❞      he thinks about her,   sally    -    tailing down the right aisle at the supermarket,    biscuits and flour in her tote bag,    the smell of home.     luke has shown him home once,    and he’d taken it back with him.     the reminder of an old and familial warmth went up in flames,    turning bitter.     the edge in his voice,    and the shine of his eyes,    turned a rather merciless shade of cold ice.         ❝        and i’m doing it for my friends.     get out of my way.          ❞

𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐖𝐀𝐘  𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘  𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃  𝐇𝐈𝐒  𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓  𝐓𝐎  𝐋𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐘 ,  as  if  the  ‘ power  of  friendship ‘  could  mend  the  rift  formed  by  the  injustices  in  their  world  or  breathe  life  back  into  the  dead ,   infuriated  Luke .  He  hadn’t  chosen  the  role  of  TRAITOR  overnight .  He’d  endured  years  of  the  gods  driving  a  dagger  into  the  same  wound  over  and  over  while  he  did  their  bidding ,  hoping  to  obtain  .  .  .  what ?  Greatness ?  Freedom ?  A  haven  where  he  could  finally  REST ?   All  he’d  really  gotten  were  an  unhinged  mother ,  a  pair  of  winged  sneakers ,  and  that  scar ,  which  dragged  across  half  his  face .   ❝   That’s  funny .  You  think  fighting  this  war  will  help  your  mom ?  Didn’t  she  almost  get  killed  trying  to  get  you  to  camp ?   As  long  as  the  gods  live ,  your  life  is  a   threat  to  hers .  ❞   And  his  own .   For  any  demigod  who  truly  wanted  to  LIVE  ––  and  Luke  did  ––  their  world  was  unsustainable .  Percy  hadn’t  dwelt  in  it  long  enough  to  find  out .   ❝   Don’t  you  want  to  be  able  to  stop  running  for  once ?   ❞   Even  if  he  was  a  ‘ puppet ‘  to  Kronos ,  he  wasn’t  sure  he  minded .  The  Titan  had  found  him  at  a  dead  end ,  desperate  to  claw  his  way  out .  Wherever  this  lead ,  at  least  it  was  somewhere  else .   Steeling  himself ,  Luke  extended  Backbiter  to  block  his  path .   ❝   I  don’t  think  so .  If  you  can’t  see  reason ,  then  this  ENDS  here .   ❞

𝟎𝟏. ( ALIAS / NAME ) ——   christine   𝟎𝟐.  ( BIRTHDAY ) —— april 20  𝟎𝟑.  ( ZODIAC SIGN ) ——    taurus 𝟎𝟒.  ( HEIGHT ) ——    5′9″ 𝟎𝟓.  ( HOBBIES ) ——     singing, writing, baking, logic puzzles 𝟎𝟔.  ( FAVORITE COLOR ) ——    pastel pink or purple 𝟎𝟕.  ( FAVORITE BOOKS ) ——    the count of monte cristo, pjo series, acotar series, the seven deaths of evelyn hardcastle 𝟎𝟖.  ( LAST SONG LISTENED TO ) ——     playing with fire - breakup shores 𝟎𝟗.  ( LAST FILM OR SHOW WATCHED ) ——   love, victor !! 𝟏𝟎.  ( INSPIRATION FOR MUSE ) ——    honestly idk how to explain it without being super abstract, but ! a lot of my inspiration just comes randomly by daydreaming, thinking about questions the book left me with, aesthetics, songs, someone doing something that gives me vibes for him. i have no real method, it’s all chaos. 𝟏𝟏.  ( STORY BEHIND URL ) ——   the idea came from dani at @dangeress , actually, but it basically references luke’s destiny from camp counselor to the “hero” at the end of the great prophecy, having to die to save olympus and the rest of the world from the destruction he took part in bringing in. kind of clunky to explain, but also pretty obvious, i guess ??

            ❝ hi hon, welcome to bob’s burgers. what can I get ya? oh- oh is that blood? oh that’s blood.I’m gonna gag.  I’mgonnagag. ❞ nausea aside, the kid looks seriously banged up. ❝ you being chased by someone? ❞  it’s a joke, but it might just be true.  ❝ listen, you just relax here hon, I’ll be back with a first aid kit ( I think we have one… somewhere…. ) and a baseball bat in a second. 

          oh, wait- what’s your order? no, no- I’ll- first aid first, first aid first!  ❞ 

she’s back soon enough. ❝ I made a order with the chef! he’s my husband! told him you look like you need a good meal. but since this is our restaurant, I figured just a meal should be enough. ha! what’s your name, hon? ❞ 

STARTER FOR @campmartyr​ 

❝   𝐇𝐄𝐘 ,  𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐘 .  ❞    With  all  the  adrenaline  still  pumping  through  his  veins ,  Luke  doesn’t  notice  the  bloody  gash  seeping  through  the  sleeve  of  his  shirt  until  she  brings  it  to  his  attention .   ❝   It’s  fine ,  seriously .  I ,  uh  .  .   .  fell  off  my  bike  on  the  way  over .   Looks  worse  than  it  is .   ❞   His  instinct  is  to  back  out  and  avoid  making  a  BIGGER  scene  ––  which  could  be  a  reasonable  concern ,  if  the  Laistrygonian  giant  who  had  been  hunting  him  down  makes  an  appearance  ––  but  the  woman  behind  the  counter  disappears  before  he  can  object .  

 Why  does  she  need  a  BASEBALL  BAT ?

                𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆   𝐀   𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇   𝐖𝐀𝐒   𝐀   𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒   𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐋, all the more reason why this one was particularly intrigued by it, visibly perking up at his words, though he had already successfully captured her attention simply by showing up inside her castle. 𝙷𝙴 𝚆𝙰𝚂 𝙰 𝙲𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙾𝚄𝚂 𝙾𝙽𝙴, to say the least. first, their unexpected encounter during the MAY DAY parade, and now for him to make himself known as a man with a purpose other than thanks. there have been those who would have done whatever they could for an AUDIENCE WITH THE SORCERESS, whether they be admirers who have heard the rumors surrounding her or diplomats sent with letters regarding their war, enticing her influence in such matters. he does not come alone, she senses, having learned how to SENSE LINGERING ENCHANTMENTS and where they could be found.

               asking clara to get what was needed for BREAKFAST  ( her previous transformation and use of magic having exhausted her, though she does her best to remain standing ), she watches the little girl run off before she herself moves to check on calcifer. 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙰𝚃𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚂 𝚁𝙴𝙶𝙰𝚁𝙳𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙾𝙻𝚈𝙼𝙿𝚄𝚂 were not hers to meddle with unless asked or prompted to. ❛  you bring your hostess A PRICE for what you bring her ?  the gods are getting CREATIVE with their messengers.  ❜   when she glances at him, the amused perk of her lips can be seen as she threw a log of wood for the flame to devour. ❛  a curious challenge, i must say, but nevertheless, i’ve never been one to say no to a PUZZLE, and you’re the most interesting one i’ve seen in a while.  ❜

                𝚂𝙷𝙴 𝙷𝙰𝚂 𝙰𝙻𝚆𝙰𝚈𝚂 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙳 𝙿𝚄𝚉𝚉𝙻𝙴𝚂, ever since she had been an apprentice. as she had been moving towards her potion vials, she pauses, turning towards him. for a moment, she seems to CONSIDER him, observing as if he was something new she hasn’t stumbled upon before. however, her TRADEMARK GRIN appears before one could question it. ❛  i’m assuming you shall be staying here, then ?  calcifer seems to like you already. ❜  a huff from the fireplace makes her laugh.

𝐇𝐄𝐑  𝐀𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓  𝐈𝐒  𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 ,  but  Luke  has  no  choice  but  to  wade  in  the  discomfort .  His  fate  is  in  her  hands ;  he  can  only  hope  that  whatever  intentions  are  shadowed  by  that  smirk  are  in  his  FAVOR .  As  she  turns  her  back  to  him  to  tend  the  fire ,  he  loosens  a  breath ,  collecting  himself .  He  watches  as  she  tosses  an  unmarred  log  into  the  fireplace ,  and  is  comforted  by  the  orange  glow  which  feasts  upon  it  and  the  rippling  sounds  it  makes  as  it  crackles .  The  longer  he  focuses  on  the  flame ,  the  more  certain  he  is  that  it’s  quite  LITERALLY  devouring  the  cylinder  of  wood ,  noting  what  appears  to  be  a  face  inside  its  wavering  form .  He  looks  away ,  deciding  it’s  probably  a  strong  indication  that  he’s  in  need  of  sleep .

❝   They’ve  always   had   a  UNIQUE  sense  of  humor ,   ❞   he  quips  with  a  wry  smile ,  not  bothering  to  mask  the  bitterness  in  his  voice .  Taking  a  good  look  at  his  life  up  to  this  point ,  one  might  draw  the  conclusion  that  he  is ,  in  fact ,  one  of  the  gods’  FAVORITE   running  gags .  His  journey  has  played  out  like  some  kind  of  Greek  tragedy ,  as  a  result  of  their  design  as  much  as  his  choices .  They're  the  reason  he's  here ,  devising  riddles  like  a  ancient  sage  in  a  fairytale ,  as  if  his  life  depends  on  it  ––  and  it  does .   

He  snaps  back  to  attention  while  she  considers  his  offer ,  and  his  heart  halts  when  it  hits  him  that  she’s  agreed .  It’s  too  premature  for  Luke  to  give  in  to  hope ,  but  with  her  help ,  he  at  least  has   a  fighting  chance .   ❝   I’m  not  sure  I’d  be  able  to  track  you  down  again  if  I  didn’t .  Catching  a  moving  castle  was  a  challenge  enough  the  first  time ,   ❞   he  admits  with  a  slight  quirk  to  his  lips .   ❝   Who’s  Cal  ––   ❞   The  short  huff  draws  his  gaze  to  the  fire ,  who  .  .  .  turns  out  to  be  very  much  alive ,  and  not  a  figment  of  his  imagination ,  after  all  .  He’s  seen  enough  to  know  better  than  to  be  surprised ,  but  LIVING  fire  was  new .   ❝   Oh   ––  I  guess  we  haven’t  properly  met .  Is  he  your  .  .  .  familiar ?   ❞

Annabeth snorts quietly. “Hm, wonder where I learned that from,” she says teasingly, bumping Luke’s shoulder with hers. She’d idolized Luke so much as a child, and sometimes that side of her still exists. She’s come to see his faults now, and she knows not all of his decisions have been the right thing to do. But it has been where it’s mattered, and Annabeth knows she’ll still admire Luke no matter what for what he’d accomplished and inspired in her. 

She nods. “I’d be up for that,” she agrees. “I could use an excuse to take a break now and then, everyone keeps telling me I’m working too hard. Like that’s news.” Annabeth grins. “That sounds amazing, Luke. It suits you.” She hums in agreement, chuckling softly. “Everyone’s always referencing stuff and I have no clue what they’re talking about. One of the few things that’s ever made me feel truly dumb was doing pop culture trivia night. I knew nothing. In my defense, though, Candy Crush wasn’t my top priority during the wars.”

𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄  𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒  𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋  𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒  𝐁𝐄  𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐃 ,  no  matter  how  they  evolve .  Years  have  whittled  away  at  them  both ,  at  the  familiar ,  but  sitting  in  the  shade  of  the  tree  with  Annabeth  at  his  side ,  they  feel  timeless .  This  spot  will  still  be  theirs  a  decade  from  now ,  when  their  lives  have  taken  a  dozen  more  turns ,  and  today  melts  into  a  string  of  others  just  like  it . The  thought  comforts  him  as  they  catch  up ,  knowing  that  even  after  a  lapse  of  not  seeing  each  other ,  this  place  and  their  FAMILY  will  never  be  too  far  away .  

❝   Yeah ?  Sounds  like  we’re  overdue ,  then .  How’s  next  weekend  look  for  you ?   ❞   He  extends  his  gaze  to  the  lake ,  cheeks  burning  at  the  compliment .   ❝   Ha ,  thanks .  It  feels  good  to  be  a  part  of  something  again .   ❞   There’s  a  community  waiting  for  him  back  in  the  city ,  but  it’s  only  back  here  where  anyone  is  able  to  relate  to  the  BIZARRE  culture  he  grew  up  in .  He  wouldn’t  even  know  how  to  begin  to  bring  it  up  with  anyone  else ,  but  it  probably  wouldn’t  bode  well .   ❝   Right ?  It’s  almost  like  we  were  in  a  time  capsule  all  that  time .  One  of  the  last  things  I  saw  was  Jumanji ,  and  now  it’s  been  remade  as  part  of  a  video  game .   ❞   He  smiles  and  shakes  his  head .   ❝   Maybe  we  should  start  preparing  for  the  next  trivia  night .   ❞

     breathe him in — his forehead against yours is so familiar, you wish that you could stop time and stay here for a while. just two people in love. forget the war, forget the sides, forget it all. TOO BAD IT’S NOT THAT EASY. and just like that, his head’s pulled back and his eyes are on hers, pleading for the answer she dreaded giving. he wanted the truth, and that wasn’t something she could give him right now. she practiced. she knew what to say. please, gods, don’t let him know her too well. for once. “we’re low on campers to send on quests right now, and i’m the oldest… you know how it goes.” taunt him with his old self, they said. remind him. “so we were… well, we were sent to loot you, try to get intel, slow you down.” sandwich in the truth so it’s not suspicious. “but not me. i just — i wanted to see you. i NEEDED to see you again.” the hermes kids she was with gave good advice – not only was their dad the god of thieves, but they were of luke’s blood, too, to an extent. they also wanted him back. well, either that or they wanted him hanged for his betrayal and agreed to help because they wanted to deceive him and bring him to justice. but she preferred not to think about that. right now, all she cared about was luke. her hands were tied, but she could still reach up and touch his face with gentle fingers, knowing not to get close to his scar. “are you okay? have they done anything to you? gods, luke, i’ve been out of my mind ever since you ran away that day. i’m either worried sick or i’m angry or i’m desperate, and i just — i need to understand. we can talk now, right? so please, talk to me.” 

𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  𝐎𝐅  𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑  𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒  𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓  𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘  𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆  𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊  𝐈𝐍 .  Luke  did  know  ‘ how  it  went ‘ .  He’d  been  the  eldest  for  years ,  tasked  with  training  campers ,  maintaining  a semblance  of  order  ––  but  it  had  never  earned  him  more  quests .  If  they  were  sending  Rapunzel ,  they  either  believed  it  was  too  DANGEROUS  for  the  younger  demigods ,  or  they  wanted  to  leverage  the  connection  she  shared  with  him .  He  wanted  to  believe  that  she  really  had  come  to  see  him  ––  and  she’d  never  given  him  reason  NOT  to  ––  but  he  felt  an  emotional  wall  beginning  to  assemble  brick  by  brick .  Her  sincerity  didn’t  negate  the  threat  of  a  potential  attack  or  sabotage  .  Try  to  get  intel ,  slow  you  down . 

               𝐀   𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘   𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓   𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘   𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐒   𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆,   the only entrance was the NEW DIAL above the doorway, one who’s emerald color shines. it was the one place, to her knowledge, that seems to be untouched by the war that was waged outside by demeter. there were only FOND MEMORIES that were harbored in her mind when it came to the garden. she has never shown this place to anyone before… the ONE SECRET she has always kept, shared only by her family. however, when it came to luke… the witch has no doubt that  𝚂𝙷𝙴 𝚃𝚁𝚄𝚂𝚃𝚂 𝙷𝙸𝙼  ━━━  a certain fondness she has never quite known before. they had just FINISHED THEIR MOVE, the castle expanding and growing for their ever growing UNORTHODOX FAMILY, one she had never thought possible.

                ❛  do you like it ?  ❜  scarlett asks, leaning her side against the wall as she OBSERVES HIM almost expectantly, looking around the castle’s new interior. a small smile then lifts crimson lips. ❛ come with me, i have something to show you.  ❜  she leads him towards the door, and gestures towards the NEW DIAL, which meant a new gateway to an unknown location. the witch yanks on the string attached to the device, causing it so spin, the arrow now pointing towards the GREEN section. 

               ❛  this is my gift to you, luke.  ❜  𝙷𝙴 𝚆𝙰𝚂 𝙳𝙸𝙵𝙵𝙴𝚁𝙴𝙽𝚃  from anyone else she had met. a part of her worries he would not like him, but nevertheless, she opens the door into a BRIGHT LIGHT, which only makes her smile widen. a hand is then offered to him, ❛  would you like to see it ?  ❜

@campmartyr​  𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑

𝐋𝐔𝐊𝐄  𝐇𝐀𝐒  𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃  𝐓𝐎  𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐓  𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐒  ––  especially  when  they  come  from  Scarlett’s  hand .  Experience  has  shown  him  that  they  often  play  out  at  his  expense ,  delivered  with  that  signature  smirk  of  hers  he  has  grown  to  love  as  much  as  he  hates .  But  there’s  something  new  in  the  way  she  looks  at  him  this  time .  There’s  HOPE  and  anticipation ,  and  as  he  traces  the  new  castle  interior  with  his  gaze  ––  which  now  resembles  a  home  more  than  ever  before  ––  he  begins  to  feel  it ,  too .  

❝  I ,  uh  .  .  .  ❞   He  swallows  in  an  attempt  to  flush  the  excess  emotion  from  his  voice .  It’s  not  often  that  he  finds  himself  scrambling  for  words ,  but  now  that  he’s  bathed  in  the  buttery  light  pouring  in  through  the  kitchen  window ,  soaking  in  the  warmth  of  his  new  surroundings ,  he’s  realizes  how  long  its  been  since  he’s  had  a  real  home  ,  and  how  deeply  he  has  ACHED  to  have  one .   ❝   I  do  ––  It’s  perfect .  ❞   This  gesture  alone  is  such  a  precious  gift ,  that  he’s  surprised  to  learn  she  has  another  in  store .  His  heart  leaps  into  his  throat  as  he  watches  the  dial  spin  over  the  colored  latches  like  ribbons  around  a  maypole .