MARTYR | A Luke Castellan Love Story

16 - Gestures

Luke woke up in the early hours of the morning, 4 am to be exact. He had awoken from a dream, and he already knew what he had to do. The demigod stealthily snuck out of his room and down the hall, the yacht's generators humming softly.

However, he stopped when he reached Jay's room, her door ajar. Without thinking, the boy peeked in curiously. From the light of the moon coming in through her windows, he could see her. Jay slept peacefully in her bed, hugging her pillow with her wavy hair strewn about. Luke felt himself smiling. Then, quickly, as not to disturb her, he stepped out. Back in the hallway, he made his way towards the lower deck.

When he arrived, a golden glow emmited on him. Across from Luke laid the glowing coffin of Kronos, the fleece draped over it. Just then, one of his monster guards stepped forward.

"Sir, I put the fleece safely here so that Percy Jackson wouldn't get it. It seems to be working." said the creature.

Luke nodded, and it all came together like a puzzle. Just yesterday, he turned aggressive because Kronos was already influencing him. The fleece was slowly reviving the titan. The son of Hermes paced, running his hand through his blonde locks.

The fleece will take a while to revive such a large being. I still have some time.

He sighed deeply, and thought of his plans. Even though he didn't want to admit it, Luke was having second thoughts. As each day passed, he began to feel more and more nervous about being Kronos' host. However, he began to think of the advantages of the situation.

I'll be strong. I will have the power to defeat the gods once and for all. No more demigods would have to die for them.

This eased the young man's conscience. So, he went back to bed.

However, Jay wasn't feeling eased. The girl began to toss and turn in her bed, a dream forming in her mind.

She stood on the empty yacht, it eerily floating through fog. The wind howled and whipped at her hair. Suddenly, Jay felt someone watching her, but when she turned, her heart dropped to her stomach. In front of her, Luke stood, except it wasn't really him. His skin was pale and his normally blonde and healthy hair was limp. However, the worst of it was his eyes. His once beautiful blue eyes were now gold and evil. The sight of him like this sent fear and anxiety coursing through her veins. Her beloved friend looked like a demon. Evil and terrifying.

Jay watched in horror as Percy appeared beside Luke. With sword in hand, Luke wasted no time in pouncing on Percy. The girl tried to run and help, but her feet felt like cement blocks. So, all she could do was scream and look away as Luke fought, and killed Percy.

Jay then felt a force turn her head and look at the carnage. She let out a scream as she saw the deck painted with her brother's blood. Meanwhile, Luke was making his way to her, his bloody sword in hand. Jay felt herself weeping as Luke raised his sword and thrusted it towards her chest.

Then she woke up. The demigod felt hands around her arms and saw a familiar face in front of her. Luke sat there, shock and worry painted across his face, his hair ruffled. There was a sensation of wetness on her cheeks from tears, her throat scratchy from screaming.

Luke rubbed her arm gently, trying to comfort her. He had been settling into bed when he had heard her cries. Suspecting a monster or assassin, he grabbed his sword and rushed to her aide. The boy was relieved that she was safe. However, he could sense that this was not an ordinary nightmare she had. Luke noticed how she looked at him, fear in her eyes.

"Jay, what happened?" he asked softly.

"Nightmare." she answered quickly.

He then reached over and rubbed her arm soothingly. Jay however, hesitated at his touch. But upon looking at his eyes and confirming he was real, she relaxed. And to his surprise, Jay threw herself into his arms. The boy couldn't help but close his arms around her in response. At the same time, Jay listened to his heartbeat through his T-shirt, noting how it was increasing. The girl then let out a deep sigh as Luke comforted her.

The two demigods sat there silently for a while, both of them enjoying the moment. Without thinking, Luke slyly left a kiss on Jay's forehead. It wasn't flirtatious or satire, it was genuine. But Jay's heart couldn't help but swell at the sweet gesture. And unbeknownst to Luke, that gesture washed away the terrible version of him she imagined.

A while later, Luke looked down at Jay as she slept. Still holding her, Luke carefully peeled away and laid her to rest. The boy then tucked her in and sat back, gazing at her before leaving.
Later that day, when Jay was awake, she sat alone for a while. She pondered to herself about the dream, and whether Luke's gesture was part of it. She also wondered if the dream meant anything. Finally after some time, Jay pushed it back and went to find him.

The girl stepped out into the hall and heard his voice. Quietly, she snuck to a door that was ajar. Inside, Luke poured over his desk, placing figures on his maps. As he did this, a few of his trusted monsters stood at attention, watching intently. With a start, Jay noticed some demigods were with them.

She couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed, seeing as the yacht was shared by the two of them this whole time. However she pushed that thought aside and politely waited by the door until he was done. After a few moments, Luke dismissed his audience and walked out, startled to see Jay.

"Hey. You sleep well?" he asked.

"Yeah. Why are there demigods here?" she blurted out. A grin spread across Luke's face.

"New recruits. They want to end the gods' reign with us. Isn't that great?"

"Yeah..I guess so." she said quietly. She couldn't help but notice the number of females in the group. They made her nervous.
Her companion then put a hand on her shoulder.

"I need to talk to you. It's serious." he said. Jay couldn't help but become anxious at his shift in tone. His expression looked serious, his blue eyes tinted with worry.

"Come inside."

He then motioned towards his room.

-----------------
Author's note: I know I don't update that often (even though its summertime) I really want to! So I'm gonna try my best to have a few chapters up a month (instead of only one or two) Also leave some comments of your predictions for this story and your headcanons! I'd love to read them!