Till Sunrise ┊Luke Castellan

2 .·:· Forging One's Destiny

Kauffmann, Angelica. 'Telemachus and the Nymphs of Calypso'. 1782. (censored)⋆.ೃ࿔*:·

Words:  1,912

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"Want the last one?"

Luke looked up to see Phoebe offering her last strawberry to him.

"You sure Pheebs?" he flashed an uncertain smile at her.

"Yeah," she replied, a soft smile gracing her lips "Come on, take it" her fingers gently waving the strawberry in front of his face, in the hope of enticing him.

Chris, sitting next to Luke, observed the exchange with interest, his gaze shifting between them, as if catching a subtle shift in the air. "If he won't... Ill-."

Luke swiftly reached out, plucking the strawberry from her outstretched hand. His reaction pulling a laugh from her, her joy radiating like the warmth of the sun.

The trio lounged together on the boys' bunks, basking in the midday glow that cast a comforting aura around them as they enjoyed a quiet moment before lunch. Her eyes left the two boys in front of her towards the new sleeping camper shifting erratically in his swag causing worry to fill her eyes.

"Hey is he-" She began, her concern evident in her voice, but her words were cut off as Percy jolted awake, his sudden movement startling her and disrupting the peaceful sunlit atmosphere around them.

Luke rising from his bed, heading towards Percy, "You okay?"

"Super."

"If it makes you feel any better, we all have them," Phoebe said, her voice soothing as attempted to comfort him. "Insane, recurring nightmares. It's pretty normal here."

Luke joined in, adding "And the daydreams, and the ADHD, and dyslexia. Demigods just process reality differently than humans do."

"For the first time in your life, you're just like everyone else." He continued. His mind spinning as he tried to find the right words that would reassure him, and help him find his new identity as a demigod. What the younger him would have needed to hear.

Percy looked up at them with big uncertain doe eyes "So are you also... " his inquiry hung in the air. "Do you not know who you're-" he asked hopefully as he sought to find himself within Luke.

"Am I unclaimed?" Luke clarified, shaking his head dismissively. "No, Hermes is my father," he casually shrugged, brushing off any significance of his parentage.

Percy then shifted his gaze to Chris and Phoebe.

Chris flashed Luke a downward smile, replying "Sorry kid, Son of Hermes too" Luke returned Chris's smile with a knowing glance.

"I'm not unclaimed either, Apollo is my dad " Phoebe added, empathy thick in her voice.

Sensing Percy's ever growing sense of loneliness, she nudged Luke's side. He instantly snapped his head down at her, and she subtly gestured with her eyes towards Percy, silently urging him to reassure his new camper.

"That doesn't matter, we're all on the same team here." Hearing his simplistic approach to reassure him she couldn't help but grimace her lips at his attempt. Sensing her reaction, Luke lightly elbowed her side.

Percy furrowed his eyebrows, "Why is that okay?" pressing on, seeking answers from his older peers.

"Why do they get to bring us here to just ignore some of us?" His growing frustration evident in his tone.