Loving The Traitor (A Luke Castellan Love Story)[BOOK ONE]

Chapter 9 - I Take an Oath

I Take an Oath

The night was restless, the waters of the lake mirroring the turmoil churning within me. I paced along the shore, my thoughts a tangled web of uncertainty and fear. Luke's words lingered in the air like a haunting melody, his presence a silent specter at the edge of my consciousness.

As the minutes stretched into hours, my anxiety mounted, each passing second a reminder of the secrets that lay between us, festering like a wound left unhealed. I couldn't shake the feeling that Luke was hiding something from me, something dark and dangerous.

And then, as if summoned by the weight of my thoughts, he appeared amidst the darkness. His smile was infectious, his eyes alight with a fire that seemed to banish the shadows that clung to the edges of my mind.

"Elana!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with an energy that was both exhilarating and unnerving. "I did it, Elana! I struck a blow against the gods!"

Relief flooded through me like a tidal wave, washing away the doubts and fears that had threatened to consume me. He wouldn't lie to me, hadn't betrayed the trust we had built between us. But as his words sank in, a new wave of uncertainty washed over me, the ground shifting beneath my feet.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, my heart pounding in my chest.

Luke's smile faltered, replaced by a solemnity that sent shivers down my spine. "Kronos," he explained, his voice heavy with resignation. "He's been contacting me in my dreams, using my resentment to his advantage. He convinced me to steal Zeus's Lighting Bolt and the Helm of Darkness."

I pretended to look shocked at the news. "But... but why?" I stammered, my mind struggling to make sense of the chaos unfolding around me.

Luke's gaze bore into mine, his eyes dark with determination. "It's for the greater good, Elana," he insisted, his voice fierce with conviction. "With the gods weakened, we can finally break free from their tyranny and forge our own destiny."

I shook my head, the world spinning around me like a whirlwind of doubt and confusion. "But this isn't right, Luke," I protested, the words tumbling from my lips like stones cast into the abyss.

He reached out, his touch gentle and reassuring. "I have to go, Elana," he said, his voice soft with regret. "If I'm found, I can't be here. It's too dangerous."

A surge of panic gripped me, the thought of him leaving filling me with a primal fear I couldn't shake. "I'm coming with you," I declared, my voice ringing with determination.

But he shook his head, his expression pained. "You can't, Elana," he insisted, his eyes pleading with me to understand. "I need you to be safe."

As the night settled around us like a heavy cloak, Luke's words hung in the air, laden with a weight I couldn't shake. He stood before me, his expression earnest yet tinged with a hint of urgency as if the very fate of the world hung in the balance.

"Elana," he began, his voice low and solemn. "Before I go, there's something I need you to do."

I nodded, the gravity of the moment settling over me like a shroud. "What is it?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I need you to take an oath," he said, his gaze unwavering. "To Kronos."

I recoiled at his words, the air thick with disbelief and uncertainty. "To Kronos?" I repeated, my voice tinged with incredulity. "But why?"

Luke's expression softened, his eyes searching mine for understanding. "I need to know that you're with me on this, Elana," he explained, his voice tinged with desperation. "I need to know that we're in this together."

I hesitated, the weight of his words pressing down on me like a leaden weight. And then, almost impulsively, I made a joke, the words tumbling from my lips before I could stop them. "Taking an oath to Kronos while wearing a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt," I quipped, a wry smile playing at the corners of my lips. "Now, that's irony for you."

But the humor fell flat in the silence that followed, the gravity of the moment pressing down on us like a suffocating weight. "Maybe you should take it off," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. I blinked, taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor. "What?" I stammered, my heart pounding in my chest. Luke's face flushed crimson, his embarrassment was palpable as he averted his gaze. Then he shook his head, a look of frustration flickering across his features. "Never mind," he said, his voice tinged with regret. "Forget I said that."

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. And then, with a shrug, I reached for the hem of my t-shirt, pulling it over my head to reveal the black tank top underneath. I held up my hand as if to take a scout oath. "Let's do this," I said, my voice steady despite the uncertainty that churned within me.

He spoke the words of the oath, and I repeatedthem, pledging ourselves this...whatever it was. I felt the weight of his words settleover me like a shroud, the realization sinking in that this was a battle Icouldn't fight, a war I couldn't win. And as he pressed a kiss to my lips, apromise of a future uncertain and fraught with peril, I knew that the pathahead would be fraught with danger, but together, we would face it as one.