Sunlight | Luke Castellan

IX. a storm and a quest

   WHEN I QUIETLY snuck out of Cabin Three, I wasn't expecting for Luke to be standing waiting outside the doors.

"Morning," he greeted me, unable to hide the smile on his face when I jumped in surprise. His voice had a gravely rasp to it from just waking up. He wore a gray tank and black athletic shorts. The camper glanced over me into the darkness of the cabin, hearing Percy's soft snores. "He's out."

"Not if you keep speaking that loud," I chastised him with a whisper, quickly shutting the door behind me. My brother had been mumbling all night, tossing and turning in his sleep. He normally did that when he was younger, so I was surprised to see the habit return. I pulled the hair band off of my wrist and tied my hair up in a sloppy ponytail. Based on how the run went yesterday, there was no reason to try and fix every bump. "And morning."

"We'll do a quick stretch and then head out," he told me, glancing up at the sky and his brows furrowing. It was darker than the previous morning, thick clouds moving quickly. There were faint rumbles of thunder. "I'm not liking this weather right now."

"I thought you said you guys control the weather here?" I asked in confusion, stepping away from the cabin and down to the grass. Luke nodded, pulling an arm across his chest to stretch his shoulder.

"We do. It should pass... I think." I mimicked the stretch, holding it for a few seconds before we both swapped to the other arm. "Either way, I'd prefer to not have us run in the rain. You're okay with mud, right?"

I glanced down at my own athletic clothes. I had picked from the limited amount I had brought in my duffle for Montauk, leaving me with a light blue cropped tank and dark navy shorts. I didn't find mud to be absolutely disgusting, but I had helped my mother with laundry enough to know that the stains were hard to remove.

"I'll just hope for the best," I offered. I followed Luke's movements, though not with the same level of flexibility. I didn't know why I was surprised by how limber he was. My hamstrings were burning as I attempted to touch my toes. It was a little humiliating.

"I'm thinking about us circling the stables, running the perimeter of the beach, and then hitting the Big House."

"Why don't you ever run the track?" I asked him as he checked to make sure his shoelaces were tied tight. "Wouldn't that be a lot more efficient?"

"For the standard camper, yeah." He gave his lower back a final stretch before standing properly. The humidity was stronger than normal today, and his face was already flushed. "I like using the natural terrain. Out there, you'd be lucky if a monster was chasing you over something equally flat. It can make a difference to your survival if you can adjust to ditches or sand. Everything counts."

I didn't know why I would forget this camp was made to keep half-bloods alive. The goal was to survive, not live. Based on how my brother's first two weeks had been, it felt foolish to hope life would get easier for him. Still, I would.

"Plus, I have bottles of cold water in the fridge for when we have counselor meetings," Luke continued, flashing me a grin. It was hard to not reciprocate. "Trust me, you'll be thankful."

We started off with a jog in the direction toward the stables, the camper keeping my pace and giving occasional wary glanced to the sky. He was right about the difference in running over uneven ground; my foot almost caught on a rock hidden in the grass.

He asked a few questions about my life prior to camp. I talked about the classes I had taken in high school, the friends I had back home. I wondered how they felt about my sudden disappearance, if they were worried. I felt slightly guilty, but it wasn't like I could ask Chiron to give them a call. This camp was a secret, meaning I could never tell them the truth.