Betrayed But Never Forgotten

Prank war (2 prospectices)

Luke's POV

I'm glad that we're doing the prank night because Percy seems legitimately excited, probably for the first time since we arrived at Camp Half-Blood. His sea-green eyes gleamed with mischief as we plotted in hushed whispers, reminding me of the Percy from before—the one who loved pulling pranks on the rest of the warriors and even on Chaos himself. Those were legendary moments, like the time he replaced Chaos's cosmic map with a child's drawing of the universe, complete with smiley-face stars. The Creator of the Universe actually laughed for what must have been the first time in millennia.

I hate the campers, especially Jason Grace. The golden boy of Camp Jupiter who somehow wheedled his way into a leadership position here at Camp Half-Blood. Piper told me he was feeding lies to everyone for months after Percy and Annabeth disappeared, and the whole camp ended up hating them—the very heroes who had saved them countless times. The stupid gods believed him too, it's like they conveniently forgot that Percy didn't just save Olympus once, but twice, and became the most successful demigod for centuries. The bitterness still burns in my chest when I think about how they treated our commander.

Frankly, I'm just surprised Percy hasn't done a 'no you' on them and made them leave and feel his pain. The old Percy might have—that fierce loyalty and sense of justice that made him both beloved and feared. But Chaos has changed him, tempered his rage into something more controlled, more calculating. Sometimes I miss that impulsive hero, but I can't deny that Commander Perseus is a force to be reckoned with.

Chaos didn't tell us the cabin leaders were still alive, which he absolutely should have. I watched Percy's face when he first saw Jason in the throne room, the flash of pain quickly masked with indifference. The iron control he exhibited was impressive, but I know him well enough to see the hurt beneath. Those of us who joined the Chaos Warriors all have our stories of betrayal, but Percy's cuts deeper than most.

"Are you ready?" Percy asked, his voice jarring me from my thoughts. Charles and I were pretending to sleep, but I'm sure Percy knew we were both wide awake, anticipation humming through our veins.

"Totally," I responded, jumping out of bed with perhaps more enthusiasm than stealth warranted. The mattress barely made a sound—another perk of Chaos-enchanted furniture."Who should we start with first?" Charles asked, his usually serious face breaking into a mischievous grin that few outside our circle had ever witnessed. The son of Hephaestus had a surprising talent for pranks, combining his technical knowledge with a wicked sense of humor that emerged only among friends.

I slipped my black boots on and walked to the closet, where the pranking supplies were meticulously organized—another one of Charles' contributions. The door slid open silently, revealing three identical black boxes emblazoned with the symbol of Chaos.

"Maybe our wives and your girlfriend, then Zoe and Bianca, then maybe some of the campers," I suggested, grabbing the three boxes and distributing them. "They won't know what hit them because we're new—they'll think it's the Hermes cabin." The thought of pinning our mischief on my former cabin brought a smile to my face.

"Great plan," Percy stated, putting on his black cloak that covered his eyes—a necessary precaution to hide the ethereal glow that sometimes emerged when he used his powers. "One problem: I'm leaving the girls for last. I have some people I want to prank before the supplies run out."

The edge in his voice told me exactly who those "people" were. I didn't blame him—after what they'd done, they deserved far worse than pranks.Charles nodded, his large hands surprisingly delicate as he opened his box to check its contents. Him and I each grabbed one box, and Percy took the last one.