𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 | luke castellan

𝐯𝐢. fear

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

"Already packing, can't say I'm surprised." 

Annabeth turned from her bunk, eyes immediately catching on the beautiful head counsellor of the Aphrodite cabin who was smiling at her with pride in her eyes. Dahlia opened her arms and Annabeth couldn't help the moment of weakness. She ran right into her embrace.

"I'm gonna miss you, kiddo." Dahlia said, wrapping her arms around the small girl who scoffed.

"I'm only a few years younger than you."

"Emphasis on younger." Dahlia laughed as they pulled away from one another. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Annabeth said, nodding her head. It had been just a few hours since Percy had picked her and Grover to accompany him on his quest to find the master bolt and for some reason or another, Dahlia knew Annabeth didn't care why, the head counsellor of the Athena cabin had been picked.

"I can't believe you're leaving me alone here with Luke." Dahlia groaned, setting herself down on Annabeth's bunk as she returned to her packing but the girl merely scoffed.

"You've dug your own grave now you have to lie in it." Annabeth said simply, shoving a change of clothes into her bag. "You picked him."

"But he's cute though, isn't he?"

"Shut up."

They basked in the comfortable silence for a moment, Dahlia could hear kids playing around by the base of the lake. It was a peaceful day at Camp Half-blood but Dahlia and Annabeth could feel it. It wouldn't stay peaceful here for long. If it ever did.

"You'll be careful, right?" Dahlia asked, receiving a look from Annabeth. "I mean, as careful as you can be with something like this. I can't lose my little sister."

That got Annabeth.

Like Dahlia and like Luke, she had never really had a family. Maybe her dad once upon a time but that went away pretty quick. She had learned that with family, you could lose their love. But with real family, like the one she had with Luke and Dahlia... You can't lose that love. That unconditional love.

So being away from them, for the first time since they had met, was something she had refused to think about. Until it happened which was now.

"I'll be okay." Annabeth said simply. "I'll be back soon, don't worry."

"Hey, you're you." Dahlia said, brushing off her promises. "You'll kick whatever monsters asses come after you and be back in time for lunch."

"You bet."

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Night fell quickly, hours after the trio had set out for their quest and Dahlia could not help but feel as though something was terribly off. Perhaps it was merely the absence of her favourite Athenian but the Camp felt strange, the shadows darker and the music far quite than it had ever been. There was an apprehension in the air that flooded though her chest and nearly cut off her breathing.

She detested the feeling.

One she hadn't felt since she had last been with her father.

Thankfully, her siblings knew when to back off. Aphrodite children were so empathetic it hurt, at times, but it worked in her favour this time. So while the Campers were all at dinner or spending their free hours by the camp fire, Dahlia was hidden within her cabin.

She thought perhaps her entire body kicking into fight or flight may have had something to do with Annabeth's quest or the war that seemed to loom upon the horizon. She could not do as she usually did, squirrelling away her anxieties with the careful routine she had created with her skin care. No, this could not be moisturised away.

Where does one go when you're afraid other than your mother?

"Mother, please." Dahlia whispered to the feeble flame she had conjoured before her, tossing in the strawberries Grover had passed out as a goodbye just hours before when the fear set in. "I need help."

But she knew there would be no response. She had not heard from the fabled Goddess of love for a very long time. That only strengthened the fear within her. She thought perhaps her mother could have explained away the fear, said something or other about it to calm her 'favourite' daughter.

"Just make sure Annabeth's safe, if you're listening." She said softly, her voice wavering as she watched the flames dance weakly. "If you were ever listening." 

Dahlia let out a shaky breath, pouring a glass of water over the flame as she rested her back against the wooden wall and pulled her knees to her chest. The dull pain in her head of an oncoming migraine bled through somewhat as she rest her forehead on her legs.

She did not know whether she was breathing too much or too little, for hours or for seconds but eventually the silence which only echoed the overwhelming fear that was possessing her, broke.

"Dahlia?" A voice called out and if Dahlia wasn't so preoccupied in forcing calmness, she would've noticed the matching anxiety in their voice. "Dahlia? 

When Luke's eyes fell on the crumpled ball in the corner of the cabin that was his beloved girlfriend, his heart nearly shattered. He had known her for far too long to not know immediately how deep into a panic attack she was. Children of Aphrodite always felt things to a far greater extent than another person on this earth and Dahlia always got it bad.

His throat tightened.

"Hey, 'Lia love." He said softly, immediately at her side and crouched beside her. "Can I get you off of the floor? You're going to get cold."

Luke heard nothing but her rapid breaths as she curled further into herself.

"Sweetheart, can I touch you? Is that okay?" He said, receiving a careful nod that he knew well as he moved to pull her into his arms. She scrambled to his warmth as he held her atop his lap and close to his chest. "You're okay, it's all gonna be okay. It's just a panic attack."

He rocked back and forth slowly, pressing gentle kisses to her hairline as she hid in his chest. He had known something was wrong when she hadn't appeared for swim and beach time with the Nereids who she was a known favourite of. They had begged him (calling him 'the little boyfriend' the entire time) to find her but no one had found Luke until after his own scheduled activity.

He cursed himself at the idea that she had been here for hours.

He would stay here for however long she needed him to.

"Somethings wrong." He heard her whisper into his chest but still she did not move as he ran his long fingers through her hair. "Something bad's going to happen."

Luke didn't know what to say to that, merely holding her closer to him as he felt her tears stain his shirt. They still sat in silence for a few minutes until Dahlia's breathing seemed to calm as she matched it to the rise and fall of Luke's chest

"Something bad's going to happen." She repeated, lifting her head this time and sitting up on Luke's lap as he made sure she wouldn't leave his hold. He met her weepy, doe brown eyes with a pained heart. It was even worse with her next whisper. "I'm scared."

"Don't be." He said firmly, brushing away a tear with his thumb. "I am never going to let anything happen to you."

"But what about everyone-"

"You don't have to always look after everyone else, 'Lia." Luke said, sitting up straighter as he wrapped his arms around her. "You are not responsible for everyone else, you are not a God."

"But when the Gods don't do anything..." Dahlia muttered, sounding more spiteful than he had ever heard her before. It tugged at something within him but he shook it off, holding her tighter to him. 

"I am never going to let anything happen to you." He said again. "Never. Not even the Gods could stop me if they wanted to."

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.