𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑, luke castellan

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐱

Upon their return to Half-Blood Hill, they were met by the sight of a blonde mane sprinting toward them with remarkable speed.

Luke had seen Annabeth the day before, catching up with her, so he couldn't quite fathom why she was running so urgently to meet them now. However, as she headed straight for Keira, bypassing him completely, it suddenly clicked.

Though Keira wasn't known for her fondness for children, Luke suspected she had managed to carve out a place in Annabeth's heart. Surely, her sister had been worried about her during the quest as well. And considering Keira had spent the entire previous day in the infirmary, Annabeth might not have seen her and would want to greet her now.

But as Annabeth reached them, she abruptly struck out at Keira, giving her a push. It didn't faze Keira much, given the girl's limited strength, but she furrowed her brow, clearly perplexed. Upon seeing Annabeth's tear-streaked face, Keira realized the girl had been crying, though her tears had since dried.

"You lied to me!" Annabeth exclaimed between sobs, directing her anger toward her sister. Keira couldn't grasp what she was talking about, and her expression betrayed her confusion. "You said this would keep them safe!" the girl shouted, forcefully removing Keira's necklace and tossing it to the ground at her feet.

"Annabeth..." Keira began, her bewilderment evident.

In that moment, Luke realized that Annabeth had likely discovered upon their return that Jon had died. He couldn't recall mentioning anything about it to her yesterday, as he hadn't brought up Jon. Surely, Chiron would have wanted to break the news to her gently, considering her young age.

"You said there wouldn't be any more Thalias!" her sister sobbed, her words dripping with sorrow. Clearly distraught, Annabeth turned and ran back toward the cabins beneath the hill.

Keira stood there, watching her sister retreat, her hand hanging limply at her side, the necklace lying forgotten at her feet. A lump had formed in her throat, rendering her speechless as she observed the unfolding scene with wide eyes.

Luke was on the verge of asking her about the situation, but he held back, sensing it wasn't the right time. With a concerned expression, he bowed his head and silently followed after Annabeth, leaving Keira alone with her thoughts, gazing out at the camp from the hilltop.

＊＊＊

Keira had made the decision to spend some quiet moments on the beach late at night before catching her midnight flight to San Diego. With her return not scheduled until June, she knew she needed this time alone to reflect before diving back into the routine of school.

Seated on the sand with her legs stretched out before her, she ignited a cigarette. Once more, she found herself contemplating the vast sea extending to the horizon beneath the starry night sky. Memories flooded back of a couple of months prior, when, in this very spot, just before her birthday, Ligia the siren had cryptically warned her of an impending betrayal.

Her memories with Nik and Jon in the camp seemed like something from another life. She wondered what it would be like to return the following summer without either of them. A mix of sadness for Jon's death and anger at Nik's betrayal overcame her once again. Slowly, she tried to let go of her emotions as she exhaled the cigarette smoke, but she couldn't prevent tears from escaping her eyes.

She didn't know how much time had passed until he arrived.

Arms crossed, standing a few feet away from her with a typically reproachful attitude, although it had been a while since he had shown it, he asked, "Why did you lie to Annabeth about your necklace?"