---------------------------PERCY-------------------------
"Percy eat the squirrel!" Luke yelled at me. I reluctantly opened my mouth.
Luke smiled as he forced the meat into my mouth. Glaring at him, I began chewing the food. "Could we eat anything other than squirrel!" I exclaimed. Luke chuckled. Even though he was chuckling there was something different about it. It was as though he was trying to bury me in the smile.
"No." He said. Luke looked up at me, almost daring me to say something else.
The horse seemed to be laughing at me. 'Sure. And while your taking requests get me a fluffy blanket!' The horse mocked. I just rolled my eyes. Luke smiled. "Unfortunately not princess." He replied.
I glared at him. "Don't call me princess you traitor!" I yelled at him.
I should have taken his silence as a cue to shut up but then again when have I ever done that? Instead I tugged at the handcuffs trapping me to him. "You're a traitor and nothing you can ever do will change that!" Silence. "You might think you're helping but you've doomed us all!" Silence. "You've changed Luke! And I want nothing to do with this new lunatic you!" Silence.
You would think this was where I regained my senses and shut up. But then again Annabeth called me seaweed brain for a reason.
Instead of doing the smart thing and shutting up while I had the chance. I reached out with my free hand and pushed him. "How could you do that to Annabeth and Chiron and everyone else!"
That seemed to drive Luke back into action. "Shut up!" He yelled.
But it was to late. I had gotten myself angry. "Then you kidnap me! Bringing me to Kronos no doubt! I shouted. Luke wouldn't look at me. "Shut up Percy!"
But I didn't. "You're such a coward Luke! So you're mad at the gods, I get it! But this? Do you have any idea how much Annabeth cried over you? How much Chiron and The Stolls cried!"
Luke closed his eyes. "Percy please." He muttered.
That should have made me pause but instead it just angered me. "No! Don't ask any please from me! You've messed with my life so much I'd think you were one of the gods!" I yelled.
Luke seemed to snap when I compared him to the gods. "Really! You're going to compare me to the gods!" He yelled.
The horse raised her head in alertness. Luke turned to look at the horse. "Yaria stand down." He said. The horse thumped back down. 'Better hold me back! Cuz I'll headbutt a bitch!" She said.
Luke looked up at the sky. It was almost if he heard something. "We have to go. Pack up the tent." He said.
I glared at him. He took off the handcuffs. "Yaria follow him." He said. Yaria trotted after me. I rolled my eyes and left grumbling.
I rolled up the tent and shouldered the bag with the clothes Luke took from my cabin. "Why are you so loyal to him?" I found myself asking. Yaria snorted. 'He's done everything for me. You're daddy might be an Oceanous rip off but he ain't done nothing for me." She replied.
I found myself nodding. "My dad hasn't done much for me either." I said.
Yaria nickered. 'Then why do all that you do for them? Why be the center of a war? Hades tried to take your mom from you, Zeus tries to take your life from you, and Poseidon neglected you. Why slave for them?" The horse asked.
I shrugged.
But that was a great question. Why work for the gods? What have they done for me? I was threatened by Zeus and Poseidon. Zeus got Thalia killed and wouldn't do more than turn her into a tree. Poseidon left my mom by herself with a baby that would get her killed by monsters. He left her so hopeless she married an abusive man just to keep us alive.
But for that matter what did the Titans ever do? They've changed Luke to the brink of insanity. They've sent Luke to kidnap me. They almost sent Grover off the side of Tartarus. They poisoned Thalia's tree. And because of Atlas Zoe Nightshade lost her life.
So who do I choose? There is no side that has really been good to me. The only people who really care about me is my mom, Grover, Annabeth, and everyone at camp.
The only place I could truly feel safe at is home. Paul and my mom and I could hit the road. We could move to Miami. But who's to say monsters won't come after me. I couldn't even promise that the gods don't just kill me when they see they can't use me.
If I went with my mom and Paul they would be in danger. But if I chose the Titans I'd be driven to the same insanity as Luke. But could I force myself to be a pawn for the gods?
By the time I shook my head out of my thoughts I had finished packing up.
Luke had climbed on Yaria. "You're gonna get on or what?" He said. I just climbed on the horse. Luke seemed amused. "Not speaking to me?" He said. I looked away. Luke just sighed and clamped the handcuffs back on our wrists.
When he was finished he looked at me. "Percy?" He said. I stared out at the sky. Yaria took off into the sky. Luke stared at me. "So you just gonna ghost me the whole ride?" He chuckled. I huffed at him.
Luke lifted my chin up to look at him. "So?" He asked. I did my best to look away. But I couldn't ignore the sparks I felt when he touched me.
My face was so closed to Luke's face I could feel his breath on my skin. "I have nothing to say Luke." I muttered. Luke smiled. "Then don't." He said. And with that he kissed me.
I froze. I didn't accept or push away. Frankly I didn't know what I wanted.
From the way Luke kissed me I knew it was what he wanted. He wanted me. And it suddenly clicked. He wasn't going to bring me to Kronos. He wasn't going back himself. This was him quiting the Titans.
He was running from them. And he wanted me to run with him.
But the one question was: When the time came would I run with him? I didn't know. But none of that mattered. It wasn't about that in this moment. It was him asking me not to be mad at him.
Luke didn't kidnap me because Kronos ordered him to. He kidnapped me because he thought I was the one. I was supposed to heal him.
But when the time truly came, I didn't know if I could.
