CATHARSIS, jason grace¹ [EDITING]

𝟬𝟭𝟮. it could only be you

AERA WAS SEVEN when she met Luke and fourteen when she fell in love with him. The first thing she noticed about him was his offhanded, laidback demeanor—how he kept perfectly calm when the monsters attacked, how he shrugged off certain topics like his father when it was brought up, how easily he smiled even if it wasn't genuine. And his voice. The way Luke spoke was so passionate, yet detached at the same time, as if he didn't care what people thought as long as he knew what he thought.

For the first month or so, being around Luke was exciting because she just couldn't catch drift of what the guy was thinking. Because of her family's unpredictability, Aera had grown up being able to read other people's emotions. It was a survival instinct. She secretly made a game out of guessing the meaning behind Luke's micro expressions—what the little changes in his tone of voice or the little smirks on his face meant, and she was rewarded with an addicting sense of satisfaction whenever she got them right.

Luke was like a puzzle Aera could never finish solving because the pieces were always changing and always shuffling. He had been interesting from the day she met him and he never disappointed when it came to bringing her some form of entertainment when the routines at camp got too repetitive and draining.

And despite his flaws, Aera could feel that Luke loved her. Maybe not in the romantic way she fantasized about, but he loved her. He remembered all of her favorite fashion accessories, no matter how small, helped her pick out the prettiest outfits even though he cared little for clothing, and gave her gifts all the time.

A new hairband because "it would look good on you".

A bottle of perfume because "we recruited more demigods."

A vase of flowers in it "just because".

"I've got the most beautiful girl in the universe on my team," Luke would jokingly tell Aera whenever she asked what the occasion was. "Isn't that enough reason to celebrate?"

Beautiful. While she thoroughly loathed that word with a burning passion for restraining her all her life, Aera could instantly see herself getting used to hearing it, so long as it came from Luke's lips. Everything sounded a hundred times more attractive coming from his lips: boring battle strategies, evil orders to take down the gods...

If Luke was anything, he was charming. The age gap between them made him the coolest, smartest, and most mature boy she knew. He was a gentleman, opening every door for her and holding her hand through large crowds. He often vowed to get rid of everyone who stood in her way.

Maybe that was why although Aera had been spoiled with gifts, the most precious present Luke had ever given Aera was a sleepy promise on the beach.

During their voyage through the sea of monsters, Aera had complained about being bored, constantly adrift at sea. Luke then ordered the whole Princess Andromeda crew to stop at the nearest island so Aera could have some time to relax.

"Anything for you," he had said charmingly, ruffling her hair. It would take another three years before Aera realized how nothing he did had ever been for her sake.

The weather had been perfect that day, not too hot, but not windy enough to mangle up her hair either. The distant chirping of seagulls mixed with the sound of rushing waves produced a relaxing ambiance across the thin, white sand which was warm and squishy under Aera's sandals. The clear blue sky reflected against the ocean water, making the sea glimmer like turquoise quartz. Though the view was breath-taking from the shore, Aera couldn't help but feel a little sad.

At camp, she rarely went to the beach unless she had a heavy dilemma to ponder or some drama in Cabin Ten to evade. It had turned into a personal tradition and even though she had no present problem to worry about, being on such an exquisite coastline evoked old, hidden emotions Aera had thought she'd already taken care of.