Playlist:
"The Lightning I, II" by Arcade Fire
"Trouble" by Cage the Elephant
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Lorde
"Broken" by lovelytheband
"Glory and Gore" by Lorde
"Pompeii" by Bastille
"The Man" by The Killers
"Battle Symphony" by Linkin Park
"Way Down We Go" by Kaleo
"Unsteady" by X Ambassadors
"Youth" by Daughter
"Stressed Out" by Twenty One Pilots
"This Is War" by Thirty Seconds to Mars
"Apocalypse" by Cigarettes After Sex
"Waiting for the End" by Linkin Park
"Control" by Halsey
"Warriors" by Imagine Dragons
"Wasteland" by NEEDTOBREATHE
"Yellow Flicker Beat" by Lorde
"The Resistance" by Muse
Aria's POV
In the camp, it got worse and worse. With the rumor of the dispute between Zeus and Poseidon, everything here fell apart. The camp was divided. Some took the sides of Zeus or Poseidon, and others... we tried to stop the camp from ruin. The once vibrant place filled with laughter and the sound of swords clashing in practice now felt like a battlefield of mistrust and fear.
"Who would spread this about Zeus and Poseidon in the camp?" I asked myself out loud as I lay on the ground in the arena and looked up at the stars. They twinkled above, indifferent to the chaos below.
"Who would call those terrible entities here at the risk of disturbing the safety of the camp?" I said the question again, but this time I looked at Luke, sitting a meter away from me.
The moon cast a silver glow on everything, making the shadows deeper and the night feel colder. Luke sat with his head bowed, his sword gleaming in the moonlight. I knew he didn't have an answer... no one here did. I was just hoping he'd say something to... oh gods... I don't know... I just wanted him to say everything was going to be fine. Minutes went by, and he didn't say a word. His silence was louder than any battle cry.
Maybe he didn't know what to say, or maybe he just thought I didn't expect an answer. I watched his fingers, tracing the hilt of his sword, the way he seemed to draw strength from its presence. The silence between us was thick, almost suffocating.
"Luke?" I finally broke the silence, my voice barely above a whisper.
"You think someone is trying to collapse the camp from the inside."
"I don't know what I'm thinking. I just feel like something very bad is going to happen... actually, it's happening now."
"You're right", he said, finally turning his gaze to me. His eyes, usually so full of confidence, now looked tired and haunted. That’s not what I wanted to hear. I watched him in silence, waiting to hear "everything will be fine" or just another promise to that effect.
"Say something! Please!" I said, my voice breaking as tears gathered in my eyes. The weight of the uncertainty was crushing me, making it hard to breathe.
"I know what you want to hear... But..."
"Don't say "but"" I started to cry, the tears flowing freely now. "Luke, this is my home. I have nothing else." The words came out in a choked sob as I sat up, burying my face in my hands. I could feel the despair clawing at my chest, making it hard to catch my breath.
"You have me." Luke said, putting a small, sad smile on his face. He reached out, taking my hands in his. His touch was warm, grounding me in the moment. He looked at me as if he was going to say what I wanted to hear "Even if nothing is fine, you have me... always."
I hugged him, clinging to him like a lifeline. The sounds of the camp faded away, replaced by the steady rhythm of his breathing. For a moment, it was like I could only feel Luke breathing and nothing else. His arms around me were strong and comforting, a stark contrast to the chaos around us.
Until my mother's words rang in my head, "He will betray you." They weren’t meant for him, I knew it. There was something else, a warning that echoed in my mind, refusing to be silenced. I wanted to put this conversation out of my head, but I couldn't. The doubt lingered, a dark cloud over the fragile peace we had found in each other’s embrace.
I pulled back slightly, looking into Luke’s eyes. There was something there, a flicker of something I couldn’t quite place. Was it fear? Guilt? I couldn’t tell. But I knew that whatever was coming, we would face it together. For better or worse, I had Luke. And in that moment, it was enough.
Author's note:
Hi, guys! I'm back. Sorry I haven't uploaded in a while. Feel free to share opinions and story ideas! I will be very pleased if you do.
YOU ARE READING
Castles Crumbling | The story of Luke Castellan and Ariadne Davis
Fanfic"Never wanted you to hate me" Ariadne Davis is a demigod residing in the Half-Blood Camp for two years. Before she arrived at the camp she was stripped of everything and now she relies on Luke for support. However, the dynamic of her relationship wi...
