MARTYR | A Luke Castellan Love Story

20 - Disobedience and Punishment

Jay ducked back, a silver blade barely missing her chin. Ethan Nakumera wielded the sword, a grin on his face as he jabbed at her again. Jay took notice of this and quickly parried the blow. A few meters away, Luke watched with crossed arms, his face showing focus. Jay stopped fighting, looking over at him for approval. The boy gave a curt nod, notifying her to continue her training. The girl turned back to Ethan, swinging her sword as she began another fight with the boy. 

Jay was slowly becoming an excellent fighter. Her petite stature allowed her to be more swift. She had slowly worked her way up Luke's chain of command until finally she reached Ethan, the best sword fighter besides Luke himself. One by one, She beat Chris Rodriguez, Silena beauregard, and all of Luke's demigod crew. As they sparred, Luke watched intently. The son of Hermes' and Jay's relationship was slowly turning distant. With the control of Kronos slowly advancing like a plague, Luke became more of a commander than a boyfriend. Of course, Luke wished it wasn't like that, but he knew it had to be. 

It's for her safety. He thought to himself.

So, they went on silently with their lives on the ship. Secretly, Jay was wilting inside. she wanted so desperately to address their relationship, but she felt scared. The girl didn't want to bring about another outburst from Kronos, or even Luke. So, she pushed it down into her splintering heart.

She tried not to think about it when she sparred, so instead she cleared her mind. The girl blocked a swing from Ethan and thrusted her blade upward. The blow almost sent the blade out of his hand, but he was smarter than that. Ethan then reared back his foot, connecting it with Jay's knee. This sent a jolt into her ligament and she cried out, stumbling. As Ethan raised his sword, Jay took advantage of the moment and slipped behind him. Before the boy could make a move, Jay was behind him with Tidebreaker at his throat. Ethan huffed in defeat, dropping his blade. 

Jay once again looked at Luke for approval. Luke smiled slightly and gave a congratulatory nod. His face was then painted with a smirk.

"Show him your other power." he  mused.

At this, Jay's expression fell. It instead turned into nervousness. Meanwhile, Ethan looked frustrated.

"I'm not a test dummy." He huffed, crossing his arms. However, Luke sent a look that quieted him. Jay looked at her hands, unsure of herself. Not only has she been training with swords, but Luke had helped her master her godly abilities. 

"You can do this, Jay." He had said.

"I can't, it's just not coming to me." she whimpered.

"Just concentrate, I know you can do it." he replied, taking her hands and holding them in his. she had looked up at him, and in that moment she believed in herself. 

However, that tender moment was a while ago, and now she was expected to have mastered her abilities. 

So, with a swipe of her hand, Jay caused a small wave to rise. Ethan watched and yelled as the wave crashed over him, his clothing soaked.  The girl looked down and away from him. But Luke smiled in approval.

"Good. You're all dismissed."

Jay picked up her sword and looked back at Luke, slowly building up the courage to speak with him. However, whatever courage she had built up was extinguished when Kelli walked over.

"There you are, blondie." she cooed to Luke. This began making Jay's blood boil.

"Hey..Kelli." Luke responded, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Shouldn't we go over battle plans?" Kelli asked, her hand resting on his bicep. Luke hesitantly nodded and went towards his room, leaving Jay behind. The girl looked down, her heart starting to ache.