When The Villain Falls (Depressed! Percy) (Percy Jackson)

Chapter Eleven

Luke

They hugged the shit out of me and got to meet Percy. Gave us food..which was nice, considering we hadn't had lunch yet. Sat down at the table. Fiona and Percy did something while Aksel and I talked.

"Where I mean..." Aksel started, sort of overwhelmed with thoughts. I was, too, to be honest. "I don't know where to start. Of course I know why but I mean.... Where did you go?"

"Well," I explained to him. "My original plan was head south and maybe west. I wasn't sure. But I got right around Princeton and I ran into a girl who was also a run away and we became friends. Watched each other back. And then in Philly, we found this girl. And I mean, she was probably 6, going on 7. She wasn't that old. On the streets. Protecting herself. Fending. And we approached he and asked what happened to her and she was a run away. She was going to New York to find her mom, and that sounded like a great idea. So we went to New York. I stayed there for 6 years. After 2005, I kind of travelled a bit, did some dumb things, and I went back this year and decided that I should probably get my own place and I moved to New Haven a few weeks ago."

"Oh..." He remarked and sighed. "That uh... Sounds kind of nice. I've always wanted to visit New York. I'll probably sound like an asshole, but why'd you decide to come back?"

"I wish I knew," I answered his question and shrugged. "I just noticed I had a few days off last night and my mind just went to having Westport just a half hour away and so then I figured why not and I started looking up everyone's addresses and it was just an impulse, I guess."

"That's not bad," Aksel commented. "What about Mr. Dude that's with you? I don't remember his name. Is he... Are you guys together or...?"

"Yeah," I confirmed with him, "have been for a while. He's from New York. When I was in a coma, which was probably you know, a year or so, things got bad with his parents and I guess it tapped over and he decided it was better to stay away. Others stepped in and it was ultimately decided that he moved in with me. Which I mean, isn't bad."

"It's not." He agreed, nodding. "But uh, if you're visiting others, good luck with Octavian. He went to his dad's when he turned 18 and he comes back like once a year. Christmas."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Aksel told me, shrugging. "But it is what it is. I mean, we're graduated. Even when he's here, though, he doesn't visit many people. His mom, cousins. You know, family. Your mom. Your mom spends holidays with them now. Are you..."

Aksel paused.

"Are you going to talk to your mom?"

I shrugged.

"I haven't decided," I was honest. "I mean, I know if I do, I won't hear the end of it and she'll never let me go. Or she'll be higher than hell or drink and won't remember it. And if not, she hears from somebody else and her feelings get hurt. But then again that's life, so..."

"How've you been?"

"Good, I guess." Aksel told me, "I mean, I graduated high school and I'm in college now. Just here at Westport. Things have been nice with Jenny. A bunch if us just started going to weapons class, it's fun! You should come with tonight! Everyone will be there. We're starting swords tonight!"

Guess who wanted to show off tonight?

I did.

So I mean, after we ate, we headed to this class. And everyone was there.

It was... It just was.

Aksel

Being this was a class of college kids all within two years of each other, it was weird when people showed up. Tommy walked over to me with a few others.

"Hey, Aksel," Tommy said, motioning at Luke and Percy, who were talking with the instructor. "Do you know the new guys? They're not from here, are they?"

"No, they live in New Haven." I confirmed that he didn't know. "They uh, showed up at my place about an hour and a half ago."

"So who are they?"

"Well, the blond one," I said, pointing at Luke. "Would be Luke. Like you know, Luke Castellan. And the guys next to him is his boyfriend, Percy. Came back from New York, moved to New Haven."

"That's..." He said, kind of shocked as he pointed at Luke. The others were shocked, too. I nodded my head. "Oh my God, he grew the fuck up. I thought he was dead?"

"Apparently not."

"Apparently not," Tommy agreed. "How did you get him to come here? It's been over ten years."

"He was willing," I explained to him as we grabbed swords and partnered up. "Like, he just showed up at my house. I didn't believe him until he started saying shit only he would have known. And when I told that they should try a class, he said that sounded like a lot of fun. Especially if everyone would be here. He hasn't gone back to May or anything of that sort, but I mean..."

"He still came back to Westport."

"Yeah."

Being our class has never worked with swords, our instructor asked us how many of us had expierence with swords in the past. And three people raised their hands. Selene did, of course. Her entire family does this stuff.

But Percy and Luke had expierence.

Which had our attention.

And you know, by the end of the two hours, we got to do a sparring round match thing. And you're with your partners. After that winners vs. winners and losers vs. losers.

It's supposed to be a two hour class. Being new, Luke and Percy are last in the partner rounds. Most people had 5 minutes or so. Most got a point within the first minute.

It took them a good 25 minutes before either of them dropped their swords, which was the only way that the round ended.

And it wasn't even because they were that bad. They were actually really good and they had amazing defense. Had we not been yelling, they probably would've gone on for an hour.

Luke lost, and I mean, it was close. Percy pulled this trick on him that I wanted to learn. He managed to like twist Luke hand and thus knocked the sword out, and he had both of their swords.

It was hard to believe that they were together, because they seemed like easy enemies.

To be honest, they were both really intimidating. I wouldn't be surprised if Percy went to jail for murder. Luke would be a bit more of a shock.

But afterwards, we all headed to Tommy's place as we do almost every day and it was going fine. We we're all catching up and getting to know Percy.

And then Luke and Percy both get a text. Which doesn't seem too weird, especially if it's like somebody from New York.

Well, of course, it's totally normal that after this text is received, were in New York City, in some building really high up.

People were on thrones, and I had a feeling we we're in trouble.

We were told to sit down, Luke was handcuffed, and Percy was escorted to a group of people.

When they shoved Luke down to his knees, I've never seen such pure hatred. But in his eyes, it was there.

And then a gun was put to his head along with a number of others.

May was there, standing next to Luke's dad. She froze. She hasn't seen her son in 11 years, and this is how here reunited.

"Luke Castellan," this big, kind of scary guy on the first throne said. Walking over to Luke, who was in center of all thrones. "You were ordered never to return. We took pity on your acts of treason, and now must act. You committed several acts of treason against us, all of which are punishable by death. Along with you, Silena Beauregard, Ethan Nakamura, Perseus Jackson, and several others have all committed treason and will be liquidated and executed. What do you have to stay?"

"Oh, fuck you."