Devour

Chapter 12

The guided trek back down the stairs was marked by silence, as both decided to discuss their plans later.

Luke took the opportunity to observe his surroundings. The mansion was enormous, constructed from oak and mahogany, with countless doors and rooms for various purposes. Some doors had nameplates that he could read: Jack, Jeff, Ben, Sally, and Nico. There were other plaques on the doors, but they weren't clear enough to read.

They stopped outside Nico's room, where Luke watched the younger demigod gently set Sally down on the ground and affectionately pat her head. Nico then reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a set of keys, and opened his door. He stepped into the room and immediately headed straight for the wardrobe.

“First thing we need to do is get clean. We can either grab the garden hose and spray off, or take a private shower. It’s up to you, but I’ll borrow some clothes from Jeff,” Nico said as he rummaged through the wardrobe, picking out a fresh shirt and a pair of pajama pants. Since his binder and socks were blood-free, he didn’t mind wearing them again on the way back to Camp.

“Wait, what? Why are we changing?” Luke asked, cringing slightly at the crack in his voice. He was tired and just wanted to rest.

“To sleep, dumbass,” Nico replied, raising an eyebrow at the older demigod.

“But what about getting back to camp?” Luke asked, his tone laced with a hint of panic. He tensed up again, the exhaustion seeping into his voice as his annoyance with the world became more noticeable.

Nico understood that feeling.

“Luke, the Ark doesn’t exist in any current timezone.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Luke hissed, glaring at Nico with frustration. His teeth were clenched, and his body language was aggressive, though not actively hostile—just frustrated and confused.

Nico glanced down the hallway and was relieved to see that Sally had left, probably in search of some other form of entertainment.

“Have you noticed how, sometimes in a godly domain, time seems to stand still—separate but still connected to the mortal realm?” Nico bit his lip, slowly trying to find the right words to explain his point.

He sometimes struggled to communicate his thoughts.

Luke stared at him, silent, before he slowly nodded his head, still appearing somewhat confused.

“Yeah, but this place has a day cycle? I thought time was moving here,” Luke countered, using his hands to gesture and illustrate his point about time in the area.

It didn’t make much sense to Nico, but he tried to understand.

“Yes, there is a day and night cycle, and time does flow here, but it acts as a separate space and time. Given that this is the Slenderman's domain, they can control it in whatever way they want.”

“I'm still at a loss.” Luke pursed his lips, humming softly in thought, as if continuing to consider the explanation would make it easier to understand.

“Don't worry about it, understanding it isn't important,” Nico said, patting Luke's arm in an attempt to make him feel a little better.

“Are you sure you're fine with me staying here tonight? I can sleep somewhere else, in the living room, on the floor, I don't care.” Luke questioned again, looking awkward, almost embarrassed, or maybe a little uncomfortable. Nico tilted his head, confused by the older demi-god.

“Why wouldn't I be?” He asked, throwing his clean clothes onto the bed and removing his coat.

Luke frowned, looking away from Nico and focusing his gaze on the bookshelf.

“I thought you hated me, now you're fine with us sharing a room? I don't get it.” Luke admitted, still confused, but curious. He walked closer to the bookshelf, examining the collection of books and knick-knacks, some weapons, and a few miscellaneous items, including video cameras from the early 2000s, an odd mask painted like something resembling a skull, and a collection of what seemed to be VHS tapes.

“I didn't hate you, I never did. I just didn't know if you were an enemy or a friend.” Behind him, Nico huffed, and Luke glanced over with a raised eyebrow.

“That doesn't make me feel much better, brat.” Luke shot back in a sarcastic tone, sticking his tongue out at Nico in a childish manner, and the younger demigod snorted, starting to giggle.

“Oh, shut it, you know what I meant.” Nico pivots closer, playfully punching Luke's arm. The older demi-god bats away his fist, immediately retaliating by trapping him in a headlock, using a hand to dig his knuckles against the top of his skull.

“Yeah, I just wanted to hear you give me an actual reason.” Luke agreed, shifting to instead ruffle his hair, and Nico groaned in a mixture of frustration and amusement.

“You’re a dick. I don't know how Annabeth stands you.” The unclaimed demi-god muttered, flipping Luke off when he was finally released from the hold.

“I let her believe the best in me, that's all. Show your best to people and let them believe whatever they tell themselves.” Luke replied with a grin, unbothered by Nico's flipping of the bird.

Now, Nico was the one who seemed confused, while also considering if he should punch Luke on Annabeth’s behalf. But he pushed it aside to focus on Luke, namely, how he didn’t have anything.

“You need clean clothes.” Nico thought aloud, thinking quietly for a moment before he ducked out of the room entirely. Luke watched him walk across the hall and knock on a door. Jack’s door.

The door opened just enough for an arm to reach out, passing a bundle of clean clothes and immediately retreating into the room, closing the door with a slam.

“Thanks!” Nico yelled at the closed door, returning to his room. From beyond Nico’s head, Luke saw the room’s resident open the door and peek out, staring Luke down with empty sockets beyond a blue mask, gloved fingers pointed into them and then back to Luke in a quick ‘I’m watching you’ sign.

Luke blinked and turned away as Nico shut his door, shoving the small pile of clothes into his arms.

“If you need anything else, let me know. Go get clean, then we can turn in.” Nico smiled at Luke while pushing him into the attached bathroom suite.