Born To Die

We break the pact

It had been a few weeks since we arrived at Camp Half-Blood, and everything had settled into a strange routine. Annabeth had been claimed by Athena one morning while she was reading a book on philosophy, a glowing symbol of the goddess appearing above her head. She'd been elated, and it gave her something to hold onto in the midst of all the chaos.

Luke was claimed by Hermes almost immediately after we arrived at camp. It had been obvious from the start—his talent, his speed, the mischievous glint in his eye—but having the confirmation didn't seem to make him any happier. If anything, he seemed more distant.

As for me? I hadn't been claimed by Aphrodite. Not yet, anyway. But I didn't care. Or at least that's what I kept telling myself. I wasn't even sure I wanted to be claimed by her. She'd barely been present in my life, and after everything that happened, I couldn't help but resent her a little.

But today, all of that was pushed aside as Luke and I sparred in the training arena. The sun was beating down on us, the smell of dirt and sweat heavy in the air as we circled each other, swords raised. We'd both gotten stronger in the past few weeks, honing our skills, but training together had its own tension. A tension that had been simmering ever since the night we kissed.

I dodged Luke's swing, feeling the air rush past my face, and quickly countered with a jab toward his side. He blocked it with ease, his face set in a determined frown. His eyes, though, were watching me differently—there was something between us that we hadn't addressed yet. And it was time.

I swung again, this time harder, and he barely deflected it. "You're getting better," he said, breathless but grinning.

"Maybe I've been holding back on you," I shot back, flipping my sword in my hand as we circled each other again.

He raised an eyebrow, his grin turning more serious. "You haven't been holding back on me about anything else, have you?"

The words hit me harder than I expected, and for a moment, I faltered. The kiss. That night outside his house after we'd left Westport. Neither of us had talked about it since, and it hung between us like a secret we couldn't keep forever.

"No," I finally said, lowering my sword a little. "I haven't."

He stopped moving too, his eyes locked on mine. "We need to talk about it. About what happened."

I swallowed hard, my heart racing. I didn't want to have this conversation, but at the same time, I knew we couldn't keep avoiding it. I glanced around the training arena to make sure we were alone, then met his gaze again. "That night... the kiss. It felt right, Luke. I don't regret it."

His expression softened, and he stepped closer, lowering his sword completely. "I don't either. But..." He hesitated, his eyes flicking toward the ground for a second before coming back to mine. "The pact, Isla. We said we wouldn't let this happen."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "I know. But what if the pact was just us trying to avoid something we both want?"

Luke's eyes searched mine, his jaw tightening as if he was weighing his options. "Thalia's gone, Isla. We made that pact to protect each other, to keep our heads in the game. I don't want to mess that up."

I felt a sharp pang at the mention of Thalia. Her absence was a wound that hadn't healed, and I knew Luke was carrying it harder than anyone. But this wasn't about her. This was about us.

"I get that," I said softly, stepping closer to him. "But we can't keep pretending like nothing's changed. We're different now. After everything we've been through... I care about you, Luke. More than I want to admit."

Luke's breath hitched, and for a second, I saw the conflict in his eyes. Then, he dropped his sword completely and reached for my hand. His fingers laced through mine, and the tension between us eased, replaced by something warmer, something I hadn't let myself feel in a long time.

"I care about you too," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I don't want to lose you."

"You're not going to lose me," I promised, squeezing his hand. "Not unless you push me away."

He pulled me closer, and for a moment, the world outside the training arena disappeared. It was just us, standing together, the weight of everything else fading as we finally faced what had been between us for weeks.

Luke pressed his forehead to mine, his eyes closing as he whispered, "What do we do now?"

I smiled, feeling a sense of peace I hadn't felt in a long time. "We take it one step at a time."

And for the first time since Thalia's sacrifice, I believed we could make it work.

The moment felt suspended, like the air between us had thickened and the world beyond the training arena blurred away. Luke's hand tightened around mine, his thumb brushing softly against my skin. His forehead rested against mine, and I could feel the warmth of his breath mixing with mine, our faces just inches apart.

Without another word, we moved closer, like gravity was pulling us together. My heart was racing, but it wasn't fear—it was something else entirely, something that felt inevitable.

Luke tilted his head slightly, and then, before I could think about anything else, his lips met mine. This time, it wasn't impulsive or born out of grief or confusion like before. This time, it was real, a decision we both made, one that felt right despite everything that had happened.

His hand slipped up to cup the side of my face, pulling me closer, and I could feel the tension melt away between us. It was just us, no monsters, no gods, no pacts. Just Luke and me, finding comfort in each other in a world that had been anything but kind to us.

When we finally pulled away, our foreheads still pressed together, we were both breathless. I opened my eyes to find Luke already looking at me, his expression softer, more vulnerable than I'd ever seen it.

"Isla," he whispered, like he was afraid to break the moment.

I smiled, my fingers brushing the back of his neck. "We'll figure it out. Together."

Luke nodded, his hand still cradling my face. "Yeah. Together."

And for the first time in what felt like forever, I believed that maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay.