𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀, luke castellan

ᴛʜɪʀᴛᴇᴇɴ

Bonds Tested.

⚡

TRIGGER WARNING : there's a sorta descriptive part about falling from a very high place at the very end!

    THE CAMP GOT WORSE AND WORSE AS THE SUMMER SOLSTICE APPROACHED, bringing with it Percy's deadline as well as the looming threat of the upcoming war. In the end, it was the Trojan War all over again, with Apollo, Aphrodite and Ares siding with Poseidon and Athena with Zeus. The remaining cabins found themselves caught in the crossfire, their loyalties divided, yet ready to pledge allegiance at the slightest sign from their divine parents. Rory couldn't believe just how quickly camp had turned into a battlefield of its own, throwing away any sort of unity they could've had before the news of the war. It was as if the demigods had become mere pawns in the gods' elaborate games, their desperate yearning for approval driving them to abandon reason and embrace blind loyalty. It was pathetic.

    Rory didn't see Luke as much, as he was always in the fighting arena, wearing himself down to the point where he himself had been skipping his own activities, leaving Chris basically in charge of the cabin. Rory in the meantime, tried to spend as much time as possible with her friends, desperately hoping to sway them in the upcoming war, testing them to see where they would stand.

    Since her conversation with Maddie on the porch, Rory had apologized profusely. She recognized that she had taken it too far and that her frustration had led her to say things she didn't truly mean. Maddie had been hurt for a day or two but had quickly gotten over it. After all, Rory was one of the only people at camp she actually liked. She was more than just her friend, but her sister in all but blood. And Maddie couldn't bear the thought of losing their friendship over some stupid throwaway comment. So, even Maddie, with her unmoving grudges forgave Rory, after all, she had meant no harm by the comment, she simply hadn't been thinking. Rory would never want to hurt Maddie on purpose.

As Rory stepped into the training arena, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness. Despite Maddie's forgiveness, there was still a lingering tension between them, a delicate balance that Rory was determined not to upset. She approached Maddie with caution, unsure of how their interaction would unfold.

Maddie, engrossed in her training, seemed surprised to see Rory there. Her eyebrows shot up in mild disbelief as she effortlessly sent a training dummy flying across the arena with a swift strike from her spear.

"You don't have practice," Maddie commented.

Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm allowed to train too, y'know?"

    Maddie shrugged. "Please, the only reason you ever go to sword fighting practice is because of Luke," she teased, there was a warmth in her tone that reassured Rory. They were back to normal. Everything was alright.

    She wasn't wrong with her comment however. Rory had only started putting in the effort to hone her skills with a sword because she wanted to hang out more with him, back when they were still just friends.

    However, her training session with Maddie quickly turned into more of a conversation than actual practice. Rory being perfectly content with simply talking with Maddie, who would, occasionally and seemingly at random, stab at another one of the dummies.

    Although the younger girl kept boastfully claiming that she stood with the rest of the Ares kids, wanting war and chaos, she couldn't fool Rory. Rory had known the girl for years, had watched her grow up. She knew her better than anyone, better than even herself maybe. Maddie didn't really want chaos, and even her apparent anger at just about everyone, would never be enough to turn her against the gods. Rory was certain of that.