chapter seventeen!
「 one day after 」
❝ it'll always be you and me. dream team, baby „
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EVEN THOUGH SHE KNEW SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE followed the instructions left on a random piece of paper tucked in between the bed and its wooden supports, she still did.
Alaska had a bad feeling about it, but if it was from who she thought it was, then she was definitely going to go. She needed clarity and closure on everything.
The only campers left were her, Clarisse, and a few others, making it pretty easy for her to leave during free time. Clarisse was busy slashing at dummies and the others were friends—since they always stayed year-round, they were familiar with each other and knew each other well.
And so, during free time, Alaska made her way to the creek.
No one was there and she waited for about five minutes before sighing. She was about to turn back for camp when cold air filled the air, causing her to shiver and the smell of blood filled the air.
Turning back around, she saw Luke, Backbiter in hand, standing by the creek. Neither of them spoke—just standing there and observing the other. The smell of blood dissipated and his aura was that of regular Luke's.
"I knew it was you," Alaska said disdainfully, breaking the silence.
"So why'd you come?"
She bit the inside of her cheek and stayed silent, ignoring his statement. "Why'd you ask me to meet you here? Do you plan on throwing a venomous scorpion at me, too?"
"I just want to talk."
"What are you even doing here? How are you even here?" she asked. "If Chiron, or the gods, or anyone finds you here—"
"They won't," he said. "I'm just here to talk, and then I'll be gone."
"So talk."
He hesitated for a bit and looked at her with pleading eyes. "I want you to come with me," he said softly.
"I'm sure you do," she said with an eye roll, but his saddened, begging expression didn't falter. "What? You want me to join your quest in destroying the world. Was this a request from Kronos?"
The air became cold again and even Luke looked slightly frightened.
"Names have meaning," he said. "They can't just be tossed around."
"Fine. So ... your lord or master or whatever wanted you to sway me to join you and your army of monsters?"
"I'm asking you as Luke," he said. She felt bad for speaking at him so bitterly while he still spoke to her so softly. "The gods don't do shit for us and we can make a change; no more children getting abandoned and forgotten."
"Maybe, but not the way you're doing it. You don't have to do this," she said pleadingly. She walked closer to him and he did seem fully Luke—his eyes were clearly blue and his aura was fully purple.
"I do."
"No you don't," Alaska said. "We all have choices in life; you're making the wrong one."
"How do you know I'm making the wrong one?" he said, bitterness rising in his tone.
"You're gonna hurt everybody you've ever cared about! Your family is here, not with some ancient titan lord promising to fulfill all your desires."
"Our talents are being wasted here! With the current gods out of the way—"
"You want to tear apart this camp just to get revenge against the gods?" she asked. "Are you hearing yourself?"
"They're gonna be the death of us anyways!" he said. "They're just sending us on quests all the time, making us do their dirty work while they just sit on their thrones—all high and mighty—and screw mortals."
"And you're better?" Alaska said, emotion starting to control her tone. Luke's breath hitched and she bit her lip in regret at the harshness. She softened her tone and looked at him pleadingly. "For gods' sake, you tried to kill Percy because he didn't agree with you."
"I didn't kill him."
"But you tried to."
Luke scoffed, but there was no disdain apparent. "I knew you were there; I knew you would've gotten him to safety."
"And if I didn't?"
"I know you," he said. "You would die before letting anything like that happen to someone."
She hesitated.
"You already have," he added softly.
"And—And what if I wasn't able to get there fast enough?" she asked, not wanting to even think about if that had happened.
He sighed. "It wouldn't have killed him."
"What are you talking about?" she asked with an exasperated sigh.
"Not to discredit you for that amazing save," he said, cracking a small smile before realizing that this wasn't the time, "but there's no way you could've gotten him to the infirmary in less than a minute. And he's fine right now."
Alaska pursed her lips, looking at him. His clear blue eyes seemed to display sincerity and she wasn't sure if that made it better or worse.
"Maybe you didn't hurt him now," she said, "but you're gonna end up hurting more people if you go through with this."
"The gods are already hurting us," he said, adamance returning in his voice.
"This isn't the way, Luke. You know it's not the way."
"The only way this is going to end is with a war," he said. "You know this."
Alaska hesitated, looking at his angry features. In a way he was right, but he didn't need to destroy the world over it.
"You're gonna be fighting on the wrong side; all your friends—your family—are gonna be fighting against you."
"You've seen what they do! Look at fucking Thalia!" he snapped. "They don't even care enough to keep their own damn children alive! Fucking twelve-year-olds were sent across the country to settle petty family drama!"
She stayed silent, chewing her lip nervously and she could taste blood drawing.
"We're just children training every day to fight monsters and to do the jobs of gods. Does that seem fair to you?"
"No, but ... I—I can't. You know I can't."
"Why not?" he asked, his voice softening again and filling with desperation.
"This place is—it's home, whether you think so or not. You can hate the gods all you want, but what about the other campers? Travis and Connor? Ethan? Annabeth? Do you not care about them at all?"
He sighed and threw his hands in the air before letting them fall back down at his side. "I do—you know I do. That's why I'm doing this."
Alaska sighed heavily. She hated that she wasn't surprised that this was coming.
It was strange seeing that this was the boy she grew up with that used to sacrifice his meal to his father every night, but given everything going on recently, it was bound to happen.
"Your mother never stayed around—you don't even know who she is!" he said, his voice rising again.
"That's not fair," she murmured.
"As much as you try to pretend, I know it bugs you that you've never been claimed, and I know you feel like you don't belong here at camp, no matter how hard you try to fit in or "bond" with the other campers."
She stayed silent and looked at his pleading eyes, sad to see that they were still blue as a clear sky because then she couldn't blame his hatred and aggression on Kronos. This was all Luke trying to convince her to help start a war against the gods and all her friends.
"I know you better than anyone here," he said. "It's always been the two of us."
"You clearly don't know me if you think I'm going to betray all my friends."
He pursed his lips and furrowed his brows.
"It doesn't have to change," she said. "If you really want, we can just leave camp and live like normal people. We can just pretend the gods don't exist."
Luke seemed to consider it for a moment before his eyes flashed gold. Even though it was only for a split second, Alaska felt better knowing that it wasn't fully him trying to tear apart the world.
"No," he said assertively. "Something needs to change and I'm gonna do it—I really wish you could do it with me though. It doesn't have to change—we don't have to change. Just like we promised"
"We were kids, Luke," she said. "I thought the worst thing in the world would be cleaning the stables, or—or being outside all day when it was too hot. We were stupid, dumb kids when we made those promises to each other."
Fresh tears that she didn't even notice rolled down her cheeks as she continued to look at him pleadingly.
"So?" he asked. He reached out his left hand and wiped away her tears with the pad of his thumb. "It's always been us against the world and it can stay that way. It'll always be you and me. Dream team, baby."