𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 || 𝐥𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧

4: maia

"do you think he really did it?"

evelynn's voice was barely a whisper as she settled on the rock beside the hermes table the next morning, her brows knitted in worry for the boy she had only just met days before. she was quick to ask luke about percy's whereabouts when she noticed his absence from the poseidon table, and even quicker to fuss about his wellbeing when she learned that he was embarking on a quest. over the past few days, she had grown fond of the younger blond, and it was hard to imagine him already gone.

"i don't know, eve," luke muttered, eyes fixed on his untouched breakfast. but he did know. he knew damn well. 

there had been countless moments when luke felt as if he was on the verge of breaking, of confessing all his secrets to evelynn. yet, the nightmares warned him otherwise. as a result, he had distanced himself from her, speaking less, and focusing more on training other campers.

"there's no way he did," evelynn sighed, poking at her scrambled eggs with a fork. "he's just a kid. he shouldn't be going through all this. i hope he'll be okay."

luke nearly rolled his eyes. yes, percy was young, but so was he when he was abandoned by his father and left to cope with his mother's erratic behavior on his own. so was he when he ran across the country with thalia and annabeth, evading death everyday. so was he when he was sent on a quest that everyone knew was doomed to fail, and so was he when he returned to camp with indelible scars, both physical and mental.

"eve, gods will be gods," he said, his tone sharper than intended, causing evelynn's eyebrow to arch.

"but that doesn't mean percy deserves it," she retorted.

"you're right," luke conceded, running a hand through his hair. "i'm sure he'll be fine. his dad is poseidon, after all."

~

percy could have sworn he was going to suffocate right there in front of the big house as evelynn's arms tightened around him before his departure. he had thought annabeth and grover were exaggerating about the intensity of her hugs, but their gasps for air after escaping her embrace had been entirely genuine.

"eve," he managed to choke out, struggling for breath, "i don't think i'll be able to go on the quest at all if you don't let me go."

"sorry," evelynn fussed, reluctantly releasing him and cupping his face in her hands. her eyes were a swirl of warmth and concern as she stared into his. "don't die, okay?"

percy's gaze softened at her touch, the tenderness in her voice reminding him of his mother, who he was so determined to save. "okay," he whispered, barely audible.

"you promise?"

"i promise."

luke couldn't help but tense up at the sight of evelynn wrapping percy in another embrace. he couldn't even begin to imagine how devastated she would be when she eventually learned that her boyfriend had killed the boy she cared about so deeply. the only thing that calmed luke was the idea that he'd be there to comfort her, to convince her it was all the gods' fault, and hopefully, win her to his side. evelynn was known for being fiercely loyal, and luke knew he had to take advantage of that, no matter how much it pained him to do so.

as evelynn finally separated from percy (only to shower grover and annabeth with more hugs), luke approached the blond, holding out a brown box. "i brought you this."

hesitantly, percy took the container and unlatched it, revealing a pair of red converse sneakers. he couldn't hide his disappointment, his tone betraying his lack of enthusiasm. "well, these are... interesting." he mustered up a grateful smile.