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

Chapter 12 - We Receive a Call

We Receive a Call

"Is this really what you wanted?" I finally asked Luke as we watched from above the campers arguing amongst themselves, my voice barely above a whisper, my heart heavy with uncertainty.

Luke sighed, the weight of his confession hanging heavy in the air. "I don't know," he admitted, his voice tinged with regret.

I waited for him to say something more, to offer some semblance of clarity in the midst of the chaos. But when he remained silent, lost in his own thoughts, I sighed and rose to my feet.

"Hey, I'm gonna steal us some coffee," I announced, the words a feeble attempt to break the tension that hung between us.

He nodded, a silent acknowledgment of my departure, as I headed inside to fetch the cups. But as I stood in the kitchen, the cups clutched in my trembling hands, I hesitated, the weight of my own guilt pressing down on me like a suffocating blanket.

I knew the truth—the truth about Luke, about his betrayal. I knew about the lightning bolt, about Hades' helm, about the hellhound he had summoned. And yet, despite it all, I couldn't bring myself actually to confront him, couldn't bring myself to walk away from him.

And then, as if summoned by the weight of my thoughts, I heard someone call out Luke's name, the sound echoing through the air like a discordant melody.

I watched as Luke's expression shifted, his eyes widening in surprise as he turned to face the wall behind him. "Percy!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with forced cheerfulness. "Is that Annabeth, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"

I felt a pang of jealousy at the mention of Annabeth's name, a flicker of insecurity dancing in the depths of my heart. But I pushed the feeling aside, refusing to let it consume me.

"We're ... uh ... fine," I heard Annabeth stammer, her voice tinged with embarrassment. "We thought—Chiron—I mean—"

"He's down at the cabins," Luke interjected, his smile fading as the gravity of the situation settled over us. "We're having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you? Is Grover all right?"

"I'm right here," I heard Grover call from somewhere nearby, his voice filled with concern. "What kind of issues?"

But before Luke could answer, a loud crash echoed through the air, the sound cutting through the chaos like a knife. Luke's expression darkened, his brow furrowing in concern.

"I'll take care of it," Annabeth declared, her voice ringing with authority. "Grover, come on!"

"What?" Grover protested, his voice filled with confusion. "But—"

"Give Percy the nozzle, and come on!" Annabeth ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Luke continued. "Things are pretty tense here, Percy," he explained, his voice heavy with regret. "Word leaked out about the Zeus—Poseidon standoff. We're still not sure how—probably the same scumbag who summoned the hellhound." I remembered he had been the "scumbag" who did that. "Now, the campers are starting to take sides. It's shaping up like the Trojan War all over again. Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus."

"So, what's your status?" Luke asked Percy. "Chiron will be sorry he missed you."

I blew on the coffee to warm it as Percy explained what was happening with him on his quest.

"I wish I could be there," Luke told him. "We can't help much from here, I'm afraid, but listen ... it had to be Hades who took the master bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice. I was chaperoning a field trip, and we saw him."

"But Chiron said the gods can't take each other's magic items directly."

"That's true," Luke said. "Still ... Hades has the helm of darkness. How could anybody else sneak into the throne room and steal the master bolt? You'd have to be invisible."

They were both silent until Luke seemed to realize what he'd said.

"Oh, hey," he protested. "I didn't mean Annabeth. She and I have known each other forever. She would never ... " he glanced at me and then looked to the wall again, "I mean, she's like a little sister to me."

Someone screamed in the background.

"You'd better go see what that was," Luke said. "Listen, are you wearing the flying shoes? I'll feel better if I know they've done you some good."

I wondered what shoes he had given Percy.

"Oh ... uh, yeah! Yeah, they've come in handy."

"Really?" He grinned. "They fit and everything?"

I didn't hear what Percy said.

"Well, take care of yourself out there in Denver," Luke called. "And tell Grover it'll be better this time! Nobody will get turned into a pine tree if he just—" The sound abruptly cut off, and I walked out slowly, giving him a cup of coffee. He took a sip and was silent.

"So." I hesitated, "what shoes?"

Luke gave me a sidelong look and smiled, "Don't worry about it." I nodded but worry I did, and it grew in the pit of my stomach.