Partners in Crime || PJOxHP || Marauders' Era

Revelation

They walked down to the woods and kicked around for some kind of monster to fight, but it was too hot. All the monsters with any sense must've been taking siestas in their nice cool caves.

They found a shady spot by the creek. They sat on a big rock, drank the Cokes, and watched the sunlight in the woods.

After a while Luke said, "You miss being on a quest?"

"With monsters attacking me every three feet? Are you kidding?" Percy asked.

Luke raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I miss it," he admitted. 

"I did like the friendship that I found during the quest," Jessica said. "You, Luke?"

A shadow passed over his face.

Jessica was used to hearing from the girls how good-looking Luke was, but at the moment, he looked weary, and angry, and not at all handsome. His blond hair was gray in the sunlight. The scar on his face looked deeper than usual. 

"I've lived at Half-Blood Hill year-round since I was fourteen," he told them. "Ever since Thalia... well, you know. I trained, and trained, and trained. I never got to be a normal teenager, out there in the real world. Then they threw me one quest, and when I came back, it was like, 'Okay, ride's over. Have a nice life.'"

He crumpled his Coke can and threw into the creek, which really shocked Jessica. One of the first things you learn at Camp Half-Blood is: Don't litter. You'll hear from the nymphs and the naiads. They'll get even. You'll crawl into bed one night and find your sheets filled with centipedes and mud.

"The heck with laurel wreaths," Luke said. "I'm not going to end up like those dusty trophies in the Big House attic."

"You make it sound like you're leaving." Jessica said grimly.

Luke gave me a twisted smile. "Oh, I'm leaving, all right, Jess. I brought you down here to say good-bye."

***

Luke snapped his fingers. A small fire burned a hole in the ground at their feet. Out crawled something glistening black, about the size of her hand. A scorpion.

Jessica's hand started to go for her coin, when another one crawled out at Percy's feet.

"I wouldn't," Luke cautioned. "Pit scorpions can jump up to fifteen feet. Its stinger can pierce right through your clothes. You'll be dead in sixty seconds."

"Luke, what—"

Then it hit her.

"You," Percy said.

Luke stood calmly and brushed off his jeans.

The scorpion paid him no attention. It kept its beady black eyes on Jessica, clamping its pincers as it crawled onto her shoe.

"I saw a lot out there in the world, Percy," Luke said. "Didn't you feel it—the darkness gathering, the monsters growing stronger? Didn't you realize how useless it all is? All the heroics—being pawns of the gods. They should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us half-bloods."

"Luke... you're talking about our parents," Jessica said.

He laughed. "That's supposed to make me love them? Their precious 'Western civilization' is a disease, Percy. It's killing the world. The only way to stop it is to burn it to the ground, start over with something more honest."

"You're as crazy as Ares."

His eyes flared. "Ares is a fool. He never realized the true master he was serving. If I had time, Percy, I could explain. But I'm afraid you won't live that long."