𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑵 𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑳 [ᕼᑭ ᙭ ᑭᒍO]

XVII || "Scared Luke?"

✿⁠ ♡ ◍⁠ •⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠ ◍ ✧⁠ * 。♡

"Forgive me for not keeping up with your abrupt allegiance shifts. Must be a skill in betrayal I never quite mastered."

✿⁠ ♡ ◍⁠ •⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠ ◍ ✧⁠ * 。♡

"ONE ON ONE," Percy challenged Luke. "What are you afraid of?"

Luke curled his lip. The soldiers who were about to kill them hesitated, waiting for his order.

Before he could say anything, Agrius, the bear-man, burst onto the deck leading a flying horse.

Lilith gasped, it was the first pure-black pegasus she had ever seen, with wings like a giant raven. Her mind wandered back to Kaia, her threstal—a gift her father left her.

"Sir!" Agrius called, dodging a pegasus hoof. "Your steed is ready!"

Luke kept his eyes on Percy, completely ignoring Lilith.

"I told you last summer, Percy," he said. "You can’t bait  me into a fight."

"And you keep avoiding one." Percy said. "Scared your warriors will see you get whipped?"

Luke glanced at his men, and he saw Percy had trapped him. If he backed down now, he would look weak. If he fought him, he’d lose valuable time chasing after Clarisse.

Lilith's eyes met Evelyn's, the Nightangel girl twriled her hairs and luckily Evelyn understood her plan.

Luke turned to Lilith. "I am not fighting you."

Lilith pouted, "Scared Luke?"

Luke laughed, though his voice did showed nervousness but he didn't let it show on his face. "Just saving the best for the last, Starlight."

Lilith laughed, "So you do admit I am the best."

Luke smiled at her, he motioned his hands towards Alabaster and Ethan and Lilith's breath hitched.

"We'll see how best you are if you win against them." Luke taunted.

Lilith knew his plan, he couldn't take down her and Percy together so he threw her towards Alabaster and Ethan, who were her friends.

"Let's see then". She smirked once Luke's face fell. He thought she wouldn't hurt them. She wasn't going to, but she could still defeat them.

He turned to Percy and raised his weapon. Backbiter was a foot longer than Percy's own sword. Its blade glinted with an evil gray-and-gold light where the human steel had been melded with celestial bronze.

Lilith could almost feel the blade fighting against itself, like two opposing magnets bound together.

Lilith could feel someone's soul cursing the blade. Someone had
died in the process.

Luke whistled to one of his men, who threw him a round leather-and-bronze shield.

He grinned at Percy wickedly as he motioned Alabaster and Ethan to come forward.

"Luke," Annabeth said, "at least give him a shield."

"Sorry, Annabeth," he said. "You bring your own equipment to this party."

And the fight started.

Lilith, her eyes ablaze with a mixture of anger and determination, faced Alabaster, now a mirror reflecting the twisted paths they had chosen.

Alabaster's smirk betrayed a newfound arrogance. "You've always been a step behind, Lilith. This won't be any different."

Lilith responded with a sardonic smile, a thin veil masking the pain beneath. "Forgive me for not keeping up with your abrupt allegiance shifts. Must be a skill in betrayal I never quite mastered."