𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐘 𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐌, luke castellan

𝐗𝐈𝐈.

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐈𝐈.
just for you i let it happen

ᯓᡣ𐭩

𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐒 for a little longer after Luke left. Her mind was plagued with the thoughts of his switch, his sudden vileness and hatred, his new company, and the old company he had convinced to go along with his plan.

She really wished things didn't have to be that way.

Everyone was slowly, but mechanically going back inside to retreat to their cabins for the night, so Maisie soon followed.

Luke was nowhere to be found, leaving Maisie to wander around the big ship, in search of an empty place to sleep, the room she and Annabeth had shared, if she was lucky.

She passed entranced passengers, as well as staff dreamily offering her a beverage. She ignored them and continued walking, her ponytail swinging slightly as she did.

As she reached a turn, her body suddenly collided with another, muscular one.

She took a step back, looking up to see Luke. He looked annoyed at first, but his face visibly relaxed once he realized it was her. That stupid, forbidden smile shining down on her.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

Maisie pulled a face. "To sleep?"

Luke shook his head slightly. "No," he said, simply. "You're staying with me."

"What?"

"You heard me." He crossed his arms over his chest, revealing their toned look. "I don't know what you might get up to."

"You literally said it yourself, it's pointless. I have no way to escape."

He shrugged. "Not taking any risks."

Maisie huffed. "Fine. If it'll make you sleep better," she said, crossing her own, not as muscular, but still toned arms.

He gave her a small nod, smiling crookedly. She provided him with one last look before walking past him, making it a point to show her annoyance.

The cabin Luke led them to was big, possibly the biggest in the whole ship. Captain privileges, Maisie thought.

The room was big enough for two people to comfortably reside in, with two beds stuck on opposing walls, giving them plenty of room in between. Some of Luke's stuff was already set on one bed, so Maisie reluctantly walked up to the other and set her duffel bag on it. The one Hermes had packed.

"You don't want to know who gave me this bag," she said, sliding it out of view underneath the bed.

"I can imagine," he said with a sigh. "Did he send child support too?"

Maisie laughed, without thinking about it. "Oh my gods, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he reassured with a small smile. "Self-deprecating jokes are my forte."

"I can tell."

They maintained eye contact for a bit, before Maisie breathed in and looked away, sitting down on what was going to be her bed for the night. "Right," she said. "You turning off the light?" she asked as she settled in the covers, turning to face the wall instead of him.

"Right, yeah," he said and turned the light off.

It didn't take her long to doze off, her exhaustion creeping in and taking her out instantly.

Maisie dreamed about Annabeth.

Her little sister was with Percy, running for their lives.

Behind them was a huge, black hellhound chasing them, saliva dripping from its bloodthirsty mouth, its feet running as fast as they could for demigod lunch.

Maisie felt stuck in place. No matter how much she urged her feet to rush towards them, they stayed planted to the ground, allowing her only to spectate.

The hellhound got closer and closer, the look of terror evident on both the kids' faces.

Suddenly, Percy stopped in his tracks and turned to face the monster. He uncapped his sword, Riptide, and braced himself.

Annabeth's eyes widened, but she did the same, wielding her daggers.

As the hellhound reached them, Percy started slashing at its face.

Annabeth didn't get a chance to.

The monster stopped for Percy so abruptly that it hit Annabeth with such force, sending her tumbling far away, her face now cut, bruises filling her body. Her eyes remained closed.

Maisie woke with a gasp, sitting up, the way she had when she'd been with Annabeth.

She frantically looked around, her breath gradually calming after she spotted Luke stirring in the opposite bed.

Maisie closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. She laid back down just when Luke opened his eyes.

"Maise?" he asked, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness of the room.

"Yeah. Sorry. Go back to sleep."

He didn't listen to her. Instead, he got up and crossed the distance from his bed to hers, sitting down next to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice deep from sleep.

Maisie turned a bit so she was facing him. "Yeah."

Luke frowned. "You had a nightmare, didn't you?"

Of course he saw right through her. "It doesn't matter."

They kept eye contact until Luke reached out to brush an untame strand of hair from Maisie's forehead. "Want me to leave you alone?" he asked softly.

Maisie was tired. Her eyes were starting to get glassy and, frankly, she was scared. She was never able to go back to sleep after a nightmare and she knew she wasn't going to now.

Even though every logical part inside her brain was telling her not to let him get to her, to ignore him, to push him off her bed if necessary, her heart was elsewhere.

Amidst the intensity of his stare and the softness of his words, Maisie felt weak.

She caved.

She shook her head lightly and that's all it took for Luke to slide into bed with her, his warmth making its way onto Maisie's body.

She turned to face the wall as his front found her back, taking in his salty scent. Her eyes shut of their own accord as he whispered good night.

After endless months of sleepless nights and dreadful dreams, she fell asleep, no nightmares plaguing her mind.

───────

dear reader!

I realized that Percy, Tyson and Annabeth had been on this quest for like a week I think but here it seems like less time so let's all just collectively ignore that