Last Shadow || Deception Book III

Chapter 12

Clarianna 

"H-he WHAT?" I stammered in shock, staring at Ally in disbelief.

Beside me, Luke had gone so still I thought he might have turned to stone. Alabaster and Nicole, who had been quietly but viciously playing a game of chess in the back corner, froze mid-move.

Ally flinched. "Percy blew up Mt. St, Helens."

I stared at her, the words not processing in my brain. Percy . . . blew up a volcano? The fuck? How did he manage to do that? Since when did he have so much power? But then again, his father was Poseidon.

But still . . . an entire mountain?

Nicole walked over, her iPad in her hands. I glanced at her. She shook her head, her face pale, and wordlessly handed me the device.

"Great gods," I breathed as a photo of Mt. St, Helens appeared, a huge plume of fire and ash trailing into the sky. "Half a million people were evacuated?"

"No deaths, but there were injuries," Nicole added. "The entire Northwest is basically . . . well, you know." She nodded at the iPad.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Luke suddenly said and stood up. Everyone, myself included, flinched. "Percy, Percy, Percy," he growled, starting to pace around the room. "I should have killed you a long time ago."

"Luke." I stood up. "Calm down."

"Calm down? Percy just blew up a whole mountain where our telkhines were making supplies for this army and you're telling me to calm down?"

I winced. "Luke, it's already happened. There's nothing you can do about it."

"Yeah? Try me," he snapped. "I'll go kill Percy and then we can talk."

"Oh, for god's sake," I shot back. I walked right up to him and stared into his eyes. "Are you mad at him for blowing up the mountain, or scared because the scythe was there?" I whispered.

Luke stared at me for a long moment, his blue eyes sparking with a mixture of anger and fear, before he ran a hand through his hair, sighed, and sat back down. "Sorry."

No one spoke for a long time, and then Alabaster said, "So . . . now what?"

Luke put his head in his hands and said through his fingers, his voice muffled, "Nothing."

"Nothing?" my brother replied, turning his attention from the pawn he was fiddling with to stare at Luke. "Our enemies blew up an entire mountain of supplies and material, and you want to do nothing?"

"He means that there's nothing that we can do," I replied, putting a scowl-and-growl show of annoyance and anger, all the while avoiding Nicole's gaze.

"But-"

"All of you, out," Luke ordered, raising his head from his hands. "Out, now."

No one moved for a moment, and then I stood up.

"Not you," Luke added, his hand shooting up to wrap around my wrist.

Nicole heaved a sigh and started towards the door. "Yessir."

Alabaster quickly stood up with a glare of annoyance at Luke, then followed. Ally stared at me worriedly before leaving as well, leaving me alone with my boyfriend.

I twisted my wrist so that I could hold his hand. "What is it?"

"The scythe," Luke whispered so softly I could barely hear. "Do you think Percy destroyed it?"