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I 025. I
𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒔
❝ sleep ❞
ALL SHE WANTED WAS TO SLEEP. But from the moment she closed her eyes she was hit with dreams that didn't help soothe her nerves.
That night in her dreams, she was in the stateroom of the Princess Andromeda. The windows were open on a moonlit sea. Cold wind rustled the velvet drapes.
Luke knelt on a Persian rug in front of the golden sarcophagus of Kronos. In the moonlight, Luke's blond hair looked pure white. He wore an Ancient Greek chiton and a white himation, a kind of cape that flowed down his shoulders. The white clothes made him look timeless and a little surreal, like one of the minor gifs on Mount Olympus.
Ariadne hadn't seen him that way, and she hated to admit it, but it reminded her of the old Luke—one who wouldn't betray her. And of course, the last time she'd seen him, he'd been broken and unconscious after a nasty fall from Mount Tam. Now he looked perfectly fine. Almost too healthy.
"Our spies report success, my lord," he said. "Camp Half-Blood is sending a quest, as you predicted. Our side of the bargain is almost complete."
Excellent. The voice of Kronos didn't so much speak as pierce her mind like a dagger. It was freezing with cruelty. She was reminded of the gold eyes she had seen one too many times. Once we have the means to navigate, I will lead the vanguard through myself.
Luke closed his eyes as if collecting his thoughts. "My lord, perhaps it is too soon. Perhaps Krios or Hyperion should lead—"
No. the voice was quiet but absolutely firm. I will lead. One more heart shall join our cause, and that will be sufficient. At last I shall rise fully from Tartarus.
"But the form, my lord..." Luke's voice started shaking.
Show me your sword, Luke Castellan.
Ariadne hasn't heard his name in so long, and it sent a jolt through her, an arrow in her heart. His full name made him seem almost... human.
Luke drew his sword. Backbiter's double edge glowed wickedly—half steel, half celestial bronze. She had fought him on that very ship two years prior and he used that sword in an attempt to kill her and her friends. It was an evil weapon, able to kill both mortals and monsters. But part of her didn't fear it. She knew she was a better swordsman than he was, and she would always use that to her advantage.
You pledged yourself to me, Kronos reminded him. You took this sword as a prof if your oath.
