Outlaws △ Luke Castellan

03.

"I'll be back," Luke promised, and disappeared.

Kaia nodded and shifted closer to the fire, willing it to thaw the numbness inside of her. She wished she could turn back time a couple of months. She could change so much, fix problems she hadn't realised were present until they hit her suddenly, like a soccer ball to the back of her head.

It didn't take long for Luke to reappear, carrying a steaming mug and a plate of chocolate biscuits. Kaia smiled as she took them. She munched on a biscuit, barely registering the taste, before bringing the cup to her lips. Her tongue was almost scalded, but the heat of the creamy, chocolatey drink began to chase away the frost inside of her.

Luke waited until the hot chocolate was drained and her plate was crumb-less before he spoke.

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

Kaia swallowed. "Ellie and I broke up."

Speaking the words made any denial shatter, and the reality slapped her in the face, stinging long after the palm left her skin.

It had happened only days ago. School had finished, and the redhead cornered Kaia at the end of lessons. From the dulled light in Ellie's brown eyes, to the point they looked like muddy patches, Kaia knew they were in danger territory.

She had been getting ready for the speech, but hearing Ellie say that she didn't believe they were good together anymore still made Kaia cave. Ellie had all she had been holding onto in the mortal world, the one reminder that hey, she was still part-human, too. Life wasn't all battles and reading Greek and monster fighting when Ellie was nearby. Ellie made her feel grounded.

Now she was gone.

"Oh, Kaia," Luke sighed.

He moved his chair so he sat directly beside her, and wrapped both arms across her chest. Kaia leaned into him, allowing herself to be vulnerable for the first time in weeks.

"It wasn't going to work out," Kaia mumbled. "Ever since I found out I was a demigod... There were barriers between us. Ellie hates fantasy, so to explain this..." She gestured to her body. "I couldn't. I was holding things back from her. We love each other, but there were too many walls. It was best for us to end it."

She wiped away a few tears.

Luke squeezed her tenderly. "I'm so sorry, Kaia. I know how much she meant to you..."

"And then, there was my dad." Kaia shuddered. "Ellie was the only reason I continued to go to school. I couldn't focus in classes. Teachers got frustrated at me. I couldn't make many other friends. My dad kept belittling me." She hiccoughed. "I had enough. I gathered all my belongings and came here to stay year-round."

Kaia sighed, crushing her eyelids together. "I don't have a family anymore. Everyone turns their back on me because I'm different... my father, my girlfriend, my siblings. Apart from Annabeth, of course."

"That's not true," Luke said fiercely. "Remember, Kaia. Even if the world is falling around you, you have me and Annabeth. Always." He grinned, and held out his pinky finger. "We'll never abandon you. Promise."

Kaia couldn't help but smile. Luke's dedication and determination was so familiar, and when it was directed toward her, it was like being encompassed in a tight embrace.

"This is stupid and childish," she mumbled, "But knowing that is all that's keeping me sane." She wrapped her own little finger around his own, blushing furiously at her own childish behaviour.

Luke clapped her on the shoulder. With the determination in his eyes, one would think he was preparing to march out to battle.

"It'll be great, now it's just the three of us here. There's only a handful of others who stay year round." He smiled. "We'll make sure you're never alone, I promise. The last months of this year, and next year, will be the best time of your life."