Tangled in Thorns | A Luke Castellan Story

Chapter 2 - Capture the Flag

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．

That night, I'm just walking around, not able to sleep after the events of the day. I walk by the bathrooms and head a commotion inside, getting closer I see Annabeth peeking through the door. 

Suddenly theres a big crash and what sounds like water, and then Clarisse and two other Ares kdis running out soaked. "Claire you okay?" I stop Clarisse and put a hand on her shoulder, but then taking it away and wiping it on my jeans.

"No! That kids a freak!" She runs off with her siblings, leaving me standing there confused. "Hey Annabeth do you know what... Just..." I trail off when I turn around and she's gone. I stand there for a second before shaking my head and walking back to my cabin. I mutter to myself as I walk, "The fuck just happened?"

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．

Kids are lined up on either side of the feild in armor and carrying weapons. Lukes walking over to our side with Percy behind him, most likely telling him about what's going on.

"You're gonna love this. Camp wide mock warfare, all glory to the victors. Annabeth's the head counselor of the Athena cabin. She's lead our team to three straight wins. Been a long time since anyone's won a fourth." He and percy are walking past a bunch of kids just practicing stances and calls.

"She was there in the bathroom. She said she'd been waiting for it to happen." Percy seems a bit wary of her, a bit scared even.

I walk over and place a hand on his shoulder, "She's... different... Percy, don't take it to heart.

"Annabeth sees the world differently. Always six steps ahead of everyone else. You should cut her a break." 

Percy turns and looks at Annabeth, "Who's side are you on, anyway?'

"Oh her's always. She's my little sister." I clear my throat and raise an eyebrow at him. He laughs and puts an arm around my shoulders, "And yours Rose, always yours."

Percy looks confused again, "Is she your..."

Luke and I both laugh, "No, she's my basically my sister too. Been friends since her first day at camp."

"And never spent one apart since. Luke, Annabeth, and I are basically always together. If you stick around us you'll get to know her. Trust me she's really sweet, just, try not to piss her off." I duck out from under Lukes arm.

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．

I grab a plate and see Luke sitting with Percy, opposite from where I am. I walk over and take a seat, catching the last few words of his scentence, "...was Thalia."

My eyes widen as I place a hand on his arm, "Luke? You sure?"

"And what does that mean, forbidden?" Percy looks between me and Luke as we share a glance.

"A long time ago Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades agreed their children were becoming too powerful, so they made a pact  not to father any more. And it held for a long time until Zeus broke that pact. Until Thalia." I can see his adams apple bobbing, a tell hes trying not to let his voice break. I place a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him as I know her memory hurts him. "A forbidden kid attracts trouble. monsters everywhere, it's just a constant battle to stay alive. One day, we, uh, find this little girl hiding in an alley. Annabeth. We were worried about taking her in, expsing her to all that danger. Then we saw her fight." He laughs a bit and I remove my hand from his shoulder, focusing my attention on my food. "Thalia didn't make it. But Annabeth and me, we did. And we've been family ever since."

Percy stays silent for a moment, "She's been watching me since I got here. Why?"

Luke takes a breath, "Annabeth is the strongest warrior in camp. The only way left to prove herself is to go on a quest."