Till Sunrise ┊Luke Castellan

9 .·:· Misguided Truths

Fabre, Francois. 'The Dying St. Sebastian'. 1789. [Detail] ⋆.ೃ࿔*:·

Words:  1,062

╔═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╗

seven days before the summer solstice

"Phoebe!" The call sliced through the air, and instead of slowing to meet it she quickened her pace, the urgency in her steps matching the now rapid rhythm of her heartbeat.

"Hey! Wait up!" The footsteps behind her grew louder, a relentless pursuit that finally caught up with a hand snaking around her forearm, halting her flight.

In an instant, she was spun around to face him, and the world seemed to blur around her as she found herself locked in his gaze, the intensity of his eyes holding her captive in a moment suspended in time, forcing her to acknowledge him. His touch sending a shiver down her spine, and igniting a spark that danced along her nerves.

There Luke stood, his hair kissed by salt, lending an extra curl to its usual texture. His bronze skin glowed under the warm sunlight, accentuating the shape angles of his jawline. His cheeks bore a subtle rosy tint, a signature of the sun and its gentle caress. Not able to withstand the intensity of his gaze any longer she averted her eyes, but still she felt the weight of his presence linger in her heart. She ignored it.

"Luke, I'm busy right now." At her words, Luke's expression shifted subtly, a faint crease etching itself between his brows as he processed her dismissal. There was a fleeting moment of confusion in his eyes, a silent question before he began to scan her. His eyes tracing the lines of her face with careful precision, searching for even the slightest hint of the upset she had shown earlier.

"I won't be long," he practically pleaded with her. She cast her eyes downwards, and she felt a wave of anxiety wash over her. But as always, Phoebe found herself unable to refuse him, so she swallowed down the anxiety and lifted her eyes to meet his, and nodded in reluctant agreement.

For a moment, they stood locked in a silent exchange, the unspoken tension crackling between them like electricity in the air. And then, Luke's expression lifted and he realised a sigh of relief as let go of her arm.

"Thank you," he murmured softly.

"What's up?" Phoebe spoke out, trying to keep her voice even and her breath steady.

"What do you mean 'what's up'?" Luke echoed her words, a hint of astonishment flickering across his face. "Are you okay?" He asked slowly, his concern seeping through the air like a gentle breeze.

She stared at him for a moment, before sighing and rubbing her face with her hands. "Yeah I'm okay, I'm just really tired," she said quietly.

"I thought you said you had hay fever?" His brows furrowed again in confusion.

Her eyes darted around as she tried to find the right words. "Yeah, I did, I do. I'm just also tired," she tried to explain, her words trailing off into a heavy silence.

"Okay," he responded slowly, a hint of disbelief creeping into his tone.

"As much as I've loved this chat, I've got to head," she said abruptly, patting his shoulder before turning to leave. "I've gotta start collecting supplies for the war," she tried to explain, her voice fading as she hurried away, leaving him standing there with a confused expression and a sense of unease in his chest.

"Yeah, okay," he called out to her, watching her retreating figure with a furrowed brow.

"Let's not discuss how you don't even have hay fever!" he muttered to himself, his frustration mounting as he raised his arms in exasperation.

A bitter taste filled his mouth, and a knot began to form in his stomach as he began to think harder about the fact that she was hiding something from him. She never really hid anything from me, he frowned harder at the thought.

What did I do wrong now, he brooded, and how could it be so bad that she didn't want to tell me?

Suddenly, he felt like he was shot by one of Zeus's lightning bolts and his thoughts began to collide like thunderclouds in a storm, as the knot

in his stomach began to tighten, making it harder to breathe.

'What if she knows?' a voice whispered to him.

Luke began to feel dizzy as the world around him seemed to blur as his mind started to spin. Had he slipped up somewhere, left behind a clue that she had pieced together? Or even worse, had someone betrayed him? If she knew, who else as well?

'Who had she told?' the voice whispered again.

Panic surged through him like a tidal wave, threatening to engulf him in its merciless grip. He struggled to catch his breath, his lungs burning with effort. Every fibre of his being screamed for him to run into the forest and not look back, to flee before he was exposed, but his legs felt like lead, fixed to the ground like an anchor in the stormy sea.

The uncertainty gnawed at Luke's insides, twisting his thoughts into a tangled mess. If Phoebe knew, when did she find out? Surely she would have revealed him during the meeting. With a sharp intake, he remembered her being called for a private audience with Chrion and Dionysus. If she knew she would have told them, especially when there was a god in her presence.

Would she defy them though, the gods? Would she turn him over to them for their divine judgment?

Luke wasn't sure.

He closed his eyes tightly, trying to take a few deep breaths to steady his heartbeat that was frantically drumming against his ribcage. As the rush of air filled his lungs, he felt his mind begin to quieten. With each exhale he could start to think more rationally, and a realisation washed over him like a cool breeze on a sweltering day.

If she knew, she hadn't revealed him yet, because if she had, the very fabric of his world would have unravelled by now. He would already be a pariah, hunted by his friends, pursued by the wrath of the gods. Yet, here he still standing in a peaceful Camp Half-Blood.

'Find out what she knows' the voice gnawed at him.

Opening his eyes once more, the intensity of his determination casting a fierce gleam in their depths. He fixed his sights on the distant gleaming cabin of the sun god.

.·゜゜·

Im going to start doing shorter chapters, so I can get them out quicker <3

.·゜゜·

I forgot to shout out to millieillyramam for the idea of Clarrise calling out Phoebe for liking Luke, and then making her act weird towards him.

If you guys have any other suggestions, feel free to write them