You Wanna Go To Vegas? (Luke Castellan x Oc)

May 17th 2001

Bri couldn't tell you if she loved Luke the first time she met him (even if it was more along the lines of wouldn't). But Luke could.

He could pinpoint the exact moment he met her, past the seeing her around camp at his first week there. And he could proudly label that moment as the one where she completely stole his heart and his entire life would change. Not that he knew that at the time.

Because crushes were just, crushes. And they were just 15 year old kids.

So far.

Luke would tell you May 16th. And then Bri would roll her eyes and tell him for the last time that it was the 17th (to which he'd wink and say "Yeah I was just checking to see if you knew," and he'd end up getting hit).

But anyways. 

Her brother James was the current Ares counselor. Meaning he was also the camp's combat instructor. And by some fate of the universe he said, "Hey lil sis, go team up with the new kid!" Bri fixed him with a signature glare and the attitude a little sister does and oh boy Luke thought this was gonna be easy.

Luke was new to camp, he didn't know. Between losing Thalia and having to take care of Annabeth and make sure she was situated- he knew nothing about the brunette girl in front of him. But with the carefree way she held her blade she seemed so green in the ways of hand to hand combat. And he'd had more than a few year's experience fighting real monsters.

Mistake #1.

Mistake #2 was that he spent too long assessing her as cute and childishly flipping his sword in his hand and when the whistle blew Luke was not ready for her to side step to his left and parry his first thrust. Her twisting blade knocked his sword hilt out of his hand with precision and as he raced to get his blade she covered, her legs wrapped around his torso and sending his body to the ground. Luke's teeth chattered painfully and as the wind was knocked out of his lungs he was left to just roll in the grass. Her fall was cushioned by his own, her body weight pinning him down as she turned on top of him, a cold steel sword at his throat.

Oh he was in love.

Embarrassed to the core, cheeks flushed from how easily he went down and all Luke could think was "Wow."

His state of mind didn't get any better at the campfire that night, and Bri would eventually tell him that, "Yes babe I did see you staring, but it's okay cuz you were cute."

"Were cute?"

"Yeah you outgrew the cute stage a long time ago," she would add teasingly, with a kiss to his nose. "Now you're rugged handsome. Hot, se-"

God was he embarrassed when she sat next to him at the campfire. One week into camp and he'd already gotten his ass kicked to Pluto by a girl four inches shorter than him. In front of everyone. (Nice going sir).

Luke turned to look at Bri again, focusing on her fingers as she stuck a marshmallow to the end of her roasting stick and pricked her finger, her younger companion Hope laughing. The older brunette went to suck lightly on the tip of her finger, balancing the stick in between her legs, and eventually it fell over towards him.

Should he have grabbed it? Yes. Did he? No he was too lost in thought.

So the marshmallow stick fell and Bri's eyes went wide because oh my god don't burn the new kid. Reaching out to grab it her balance on the log was thrown off and she went tumbling into the dirt.

Nice. Going.

"Hey at least I got it!" She laughed, fixing her hair and just sitting on the ground because hey, camps bonfires can't be that ruined by just getting a little bit dirty.

And her soft, perfectly good marshmallow flopped like jello into the dirt and the circle of campers burst out laughing as Bri yelled. They all threw their heads back, doubled over at something so stupid yet so funny and Luke's eyes just drifted to her pouting face with the inch of a smile because yes, it was funny but they were also teasing her and the loss of her perfect marshmallow- and the brunette daughter of Ares burst into laughter too.

And he's staring, smiling through his light chuckle, fire light reflecting in her brown eyes and her cheeks wide as she sits on the floor in the dirt.

She catches him.

"What?" She mumbles, meeting his gaze.

Luke's caught off guard, cheeks turning pink in the ear of night. Bri tilts her head to the side, slightly confused and embarrassed- was there something on her face? But the blonde boy takes a deep breath and counts to three and "Cmon Luke you fought voice imitating wolves for crying out loud you got this".

"You're pretty," he squeaks, and he goes so red she thinks he's overheating for a second.

"Oh," Bri replies quietly, and he can't see it because he's so focused on putting himself out there but she blushes too, grinning back at him. "Um, thank you."

Her mind is working so fast that she's surprised that she got normal words out. "Oh my god did that just happen?"

A glance at Hope who's eyebrow is wiggling brings her back to her senses. "Look I'm, sorry for kicking your ass like that. Uncalled for," she mutters, running a hand through her hair to relieve herself of this anxious shaking.

Luke's recovered quicker, and he leans forward, closer to her. "I don't mind getting my ass kicked by a beautiful woman," he smoothly replies and oh now you've done it.

Bri seems to freeze, not knowing what to say. And he's laughing, scooting over on his edge of the log.

"C'mere and get out of the dirt," he says, extending his hand. "That is, if you teach me how to fight so I don't always end up underneath you."

"It was one time," she mumbles, taking his hand and sitting next to him by the campfire. His side is warm and Bri keeps close in the stark cold, and Luke's not the only one that notices.