𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 | luke castellan

𝐢. weak and lonely hearts

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

"Is he dead?"

Dahlia lifted her head, face somewhat exasperated but still amused at the sight of her favourite Athenian kid. Setting down the gauze, she spun away from the golden haired boy to turn to Annabeth.

"Luckily for you, he's still with us." She said gently, noticing how the sun was just beginning to set in the distance. "He should wake up any time now. He's been out for... 24 hours now?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes at that but couldn't help the small smile that surfaced on her face. It was hard not to smile around Dahlia. But it didn't help how well the daughter of Aphrodite could read her.

It had been four years since Annabeth, Luke and Thalia had arrived at Camp Halfblood and four years since Dahlia had saved them all from certain death. Even if it meant Thalia eventually becoming the tree that now guarded their Camp but that was not Dahlia's fault.

Though it seemed she was still not fully convinced of that.

Annabeth stood beside Dahlia, looking down at the practically comatose boy that her friend was attending to who shifted in his sleep somewhat. As though he knew he was being watched.

"Hey, he killed the Minotaur." Dahlia said softly, taking Annabeth's hand gently as she looked up at her. "And as much as I don't want anyone taking you away from me, he might be the one huh?"

"Maybe." Annabeth said quietly. "It just feels like I've been waiting forever."

"The time will come." Dahlia said firmly, smiling at the younger girl. "And until then, you have me."

"And that sloth that hangs to you every hour of the day."

"You mean Luke?" The daughter of Aphrodite asked, a brow raised at that in amusement.

"Yeah." Annabeth teased, a mocking smile appearing on her face. "Your boyyfriend."

"Oh shut up." Dahlia groaned, turning back to the sleeping boy as she began to clear up her medical station and to hopefully hide her blush from the younger girl.

Luke and Dahlia had been unbelievably close since the moment they had met in the woods that day and she had saved his life what felt like countless times since. It had been no surprise to those around them when they had eventually ended up together the year before during the summer when Dahlia turned seventeen.

And ever since, perhaps even before, Annabeth had made them the subject of her relentless teasing.

"Are you bullying my girlfriend again, Annabeth?" A voice broke the comfortable silence within the medic cabin and the two girls turned to come face to face with the very man in question. "You know she's not good with that."

"She's blushing like a maniac." Athena's daughter teased as Luke came up behind his girlfriend, pulling her back into his chest as he pressed a kiss to her forehead as she leaned back. "Even more so now."

"Oh shut it, 'Bethie." Dahlia said though not unkindly. "You're the one watching the Minotaur Kid sleeping."

Annabeth's eyes widened at that.

"Speaking of sleeping..." Luke said, looking down at Dahlia who had her head turned up to him. "Silena says you haven't been back at the Cabin since yesterday morning."

"Yeah well, that's when he came in." Dahlia said as she pointed at the boy in the bed. "Kid fought a minotaur. Someone needed to stitch him up."

"He's been stitched up?"

"Yup."

"Good."  Luke said with a little shrug, lifting his girlfriend gently as he took her hand. "Time for bed."

"But-"

"Nope." Luke said simply, tugging her along with him as he pushed from behind her. "Annie, don't be creepy to the kid, okay?"

"Shut up." Annabeth grumbled, watching the couple fondly as Luke pressed a kiss to the bare skin of a protesting Dahlia's shoulder as he forced her out of the Medic Bay and towards her cabin. "Don't give me any nieces!"

"Annabeth!"

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

"I'm worried about him." Dahlia sighed, hiding her face in Luke's chest as they hid under the glow of Cabin 10's light. They had just reached Dahlia's cabin and it helped that Luke's was right next door that they could get in one last conversation. "He's so... Young."

"Not any younger than you were." Luke mumbled, running his long fingers through her curls. "Than either of us were."

"He's Annabeth's age, isn't that just scary?" She said, looking up at him while still encased in his arms. "They're just kids."

Luke looked down at his girlfriend with a little sigh.

"I know you want to save everyone, 'Lia." He said gently. "But not everyone can be saved."

Dahlia looked up at him with those big brown eyes that hadn't changed in all his years of knowing her. In all his years of loving her. But it seemed, a little bit of sadness snuck its way in with every passing summer.

It broke his heart.

"I just wish they didn't need saving." Dahlia said softly, shaking her head a little as Luke brushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm being dramatic..."

"Maybe a little, but aren't you always." Luke said in mock seriousness as his girlfriend swotted his arm before he pulled her back into his hold. "But seriously, you've got a big heart. That's the best thing about you."

"Well, daughter of the Goddess of love and all-"

"But you're more than that." Luke interrupted. "You're not just your mom, 'Lia. She's probably not as annoying..."

"Oh hush."

"...And she's definitely not as empathetic or kind or intelligent as you are." He said finally, leaning his forehead against hers. "That, I know to be true."

Dahlia was silent for a moment, the soft pink blush that was working its way onto her face painting the perfect picture of her emotions for the boy in front of her. Dahlia had never truly been able to hide what she was feeling. Not from him.

"My mom's gonna kill you for saying that." Dahlia teased as Luke shrugged slightly.

"Worth it." He said, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "Now go to bed."

Before either could say anything more, the sound of 'ohs' and 'ahs' from the Aphrodite Cabin surrounded them as their eyes fell on the children of love up in the windows, having watched the entire interactions closely like the hopeless romantics they are. But from one raised eye brow from their head counsellor, they immediately disappeared from the windows much to the amusement from the couple.

Dahlia rolled her eyes as she turned back to Luke who was chuckling under his breath.

"I swear to the Gods, we're their only source of entertainment." She said with a sigh as Luke pressed another kiss to her forehead.

"Same here." Luke said, gesturing to the Hermes Cabin across the way. "I can't say I'm excited to get back over there when we could be having so much more fun..."

"Oh shut up." Dahlia exclaimed, swotting his arm again as she hid her face in his chest. "I'm going to bed now. Without you!"

"Oh how you wound me." Luke exclaimed as his girlfriend escaped his hold and clutched his hand to his heart in mock pain as she laughed her way back to her cabin. "See you tomorrow, 'Lia."

He smiled as she sent him a look over her shoulder and disappeared into her Cabin, most likely to the teasing and adamant questions from her siblings as he made his way back to his. But he couldn't help but think back to their previous conversation. He would find a way. A way too get rid of that unbearable sadness in her eyes.

Maybe he already had.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.