For Us Demigods

The Bracelet

"Tell me." Thalia said. "How is running away from our wedding going to make me forgive you?"

"Well it's not." Luke said.

"It's not?" Thalia said in mock-awe.

"I thought, you know, if I ran." Luke said. "I'd get some exercise."

"Exercising?" Thalia said, and they shared a laughed. "You want to exercise?"

"I would like to look good topless." Luke joked. "You know, for our first night." He bumped shoulders with Thalia.

Thalia replied with a scoff, and rolled her eyes. She bumped Luke's shoulders.

"Yeah right." Thalia replied. "First night, my ass."

"It's true!" Luke laughed. "No." He sighed.

Luke glanced over to Thalia, bracing himself for the eye contact he desperately avoided.

"I- I left because, everyone will hate me." Luke said. "You- You might be sad, embarrassed. But then you'll be angry, and you'll hate me too." Thalia looked up to Luke. "I though that'd make it easier for you to move on."

"Okay." Thalia said slowly. "Two questions. Answer me this." Luke tried to look away. "How on earth did you come up with that stupid idea?" Luke chuckled.

"Wait. I'm not done." Thalia said with a small laugh. "Why? Why would I want to move on?"

"Well." Luke started. "I thought about it when I was wondering if I could actually fit the window." Thalia laughed.

"Idiot." Thalia said.

"Thalia." Luke called. "We both know I've been distant. Not just a few days, I've been distant for a while now."

"You miss Zöe." Thalia cut off. Luke looked surprised. Genuinely surprised.

"What? No. Thalia no." Luke said. "I do miss her, I miss being dead. Weird, I know. But I'll give up everything if that meant being with you." He turned Thalia's face over to face him.

"Luke-"

"Thalia. I've been having-" Luke inhaled. "Nightmares." He said quickly.

"Yeah. So have I." Thalia said.

"It's not that prophecy anagram dream everyone was having." Luke said.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Thalia asked.

"Because you were busy with your own nightmares." Luke mumbled. "I didn't want to-" He sighed.

Luke watched the waves move again, back and forth. Thalia sat next to him quietly.

"Tell me." Thalia said, and that was all she needed to say.

"You know, when I was six. My uncle and his son came to visit." Luke started. "We never got along, me and my cousin. We were kids, he was younger than me. And we fought a lot. About toys, you know. Kids."

"It didn't help that my uncle thinks I'm a bastard." Luke smiled at Thalia. "Both definitions, by the way. And he's not wrong."