𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀, luke castellan

ꜰɪꜰᴛʏ-ᴇɪɢʜᴛ

The Hero and the Villain.

🧶

    For the next few days, Rory avoided Luke entirely, weaving her way through the labyrinthine halls of the Princess Andromeda with a purposeful determination to never cross paths with him. She couldn't bring herself to face him—not when every glance, every fleeting moment in his presence, reminded her of his impending sacrifice. Of the dark, looming shadow of Kronos that now hung over them both.

    When it came to Luke, Rory had always been so maddeningly forgiving. His sharp words, his reckless decisions, even his manipulations—she’d endured them all because, deep down, she believed in him. Believed in the boy she loves who had once been her friend, her ally, her anchor in a world that never made sense. But this? This, she refused to forgive. They had been in this together, sworn to fight for the same cause, to see the same future. And now he was abandoning her. Worse, he wasn’t just walking away—he was throwing himself into the abyss, choosing a path that would lead to his death. And somehow, in that infuriatingly Luke way, he thought she would be okay with it.

    Her anger simmered, bitter and raw, as she paced through the halls. She didn’t know if the monsters in their army cared for petty drama or whispered gossip the way the campers back at Camp Half-Blood had. There, gossip was often the most interesting thing happening—the thread that bound their stories together. If that was the case here, then Rory and Luke’s falling-out would surely have been at the heart of every conversation. After all, Rory wasn’t exactly subtle about her avoidance.

    She went out of her way to refuse him at every turn. If she spotted him in the hallways, she turned sharply on her heel and disappeared before he could call her name. During training sessions, she chose to spar with other demigods—ones who lacked Luke’s skill and experience, who couldn’t push her the way he could—just to avoid being near him. She ate her meals in corners—that is, if she ate at all—tucked away from his searching gaze, even if it meant putting up with the sneers and jabs of some of the less disciplined monsters in their ranks.

    It was childish, she knew. Petty and small, the kind of behavior she used to mock in others. Giving him the cold shoulder was a tactic she hadn’t stooped to in years. But the pain he was causing her—the unbearable weight of knowing he had chosen this path, knowing he was leaving her to face this war alone—made her feel justified. She was right to be upset, wasn’t she? He was being selfish, wasn’t he?

    Hell, she could’ve reacted a lot worse.

    Deep down, Rory knew the best thing she could do was enjoy what little time she had left with Luke. That’s what he wanted—no, needed—from her. He had made peace with his fate, as impossible as that seemed. But Rory? She couldn’t let go. Not now. Fate was a cruel and abstract force, easier to dismiss when it loomed in the distance. It was like chasing the horizon—you could convince yourself it would never truly arrive. But the threat of Kronos was something else entirely. It wasn’t distant or vague. It was here, tangible, and very, very real. They knew exactly what he wanted, what he would do if he succeeded.

    And yet, Rory didn’t care about destiny or prophecies. She couldn’t let it end like this. She wouldn’t. If Luke was resigned, fine. That didn’t mean she had to be. There had to be a way out, some plan, some miracle. Rory refused to believe otherwise. Her mind raced, combing through the endless web of possibilities, the pieces of their fragile rebellion she still clung to. She had to figure something out.

    Deep down, though, she knew the truth. They were too far gone to stop now. Maybe there had been a moment when they could have escaped all of this, vanished into the shadows before Kronos had fully risen. But that moment was long past. He was growing stronger with or without them, and his grip on the world was tightening like a noose. Leaving wasn’t an option anymore. Besides, they weren’t finished—not yet. Their plan demanded more. To threaten Olympus, they needed strength, strategy, and a willingness to destroy everything in their path. They hadn’t quite reached that point, but they were close. So close.