𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑, luke castellan

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐲

Luke Castellan was the most unfortunate demigod of the last two hundred years.

Unfortunate enough to be born the child of a god who paid him no attention. Unfortunate enough for his mother to go insane and have to abandon their home. Unfortunate enough for his best friend to die.

Unfortunate enough to find himself face-to-face with Keira Blackwell in a dim cave, witnessing her in a state of emotional turmoil never experienced before.

Even before she turned around, Luke knew it was her. There was no need for her to face him. He had recognized Keira with her long legs, blonde hair tied in a ponytail, and an elegantly trained posture.

Besides, Luke expected her to be there. He had noticed she was in Seattle when he stole the golden motorcycle, and someone had thrown a celestial bronce spear at him to make him fall off the bike. No one else but her could be the one who was using the motorcycle before he stole it. And it made sense, as the bike was as extravagant as Keira.

However, even though he anticipated it, Luke couldn't help but feel frustrated that she had reached Talos' Knee before him. Seeing her brought back all the anger and fury he felt at Pol's Resort. Every reason for their argument and her departure flooded his mind, causing him to clench his fists.

Keira, turning around as he spoke, wasn't thrilled to see him either. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms. Through the tense silence, neither of them had budged. When she spoke, her voice echoed throughout the cavern, and Luke could hear it as if she were right next to him.

"Indeed. Worst experience of my fucking life waking up without seeing your handsome face every morning," Keira commented with obvious irony in response to his equally sarcastic question of whether she had missed him.

It was time to face these situations differently, Luke knew. A lightbulb went off in his mind at that moment, thinking it might be a good idea to play along with a bit of irony.

Luke knew it wasn't the right time or place to argue, but he couldn't help himself. Seeing Keira so agitated and angry as she appeared at that moment only made him want to provoke her even more, as she had done to him so many times before.

It might have been a bit cruel considering that Keira must have gone through some tough experiences on her way to that cave through the sanctuary because she was obviously affected, but Luke felt the urge to exploit her vulnerability and make her pay. He knew that, under normal circumstances, he should have backed off, but at that moment, he couldn't help but increase the level of sarcasm.

"I figured after our little break, you'd come to appreciate my charm. Maybe even want to patch things up," he started, a smirk playing on his lips, a touch of sarcasm mirroring Keira's usual style.

Internally, Keira was a bit peeved with Luke's departure, although perhaps it was only when she had him in front of her that she realized it. Once again, the feeling that he wasn't completely under her control, as any other camper on the quest would have been, bothered her. Why couldn't he just go along like everyone else? Why did he want to be treated differently?

She couldn't help but recall Ambition, who had told her that she wanted absolutely everyone at her feet, implicitly expressing the desire for Luke to fall for her. The Flaw had been right, and now she found herself dealing with the consequences of things not going as she wanted.

"Oh, there's nothing to patch up between us," she commented, and recalling all the vulnerabilities that the Three Flaws had exposed, she couldn't help but let the words escape her mouth, "I'm a terrible person. I'm cruel, I'm bad, and I get a kick out of messing with people. Isn't that what you always said, kiddo? Why would you wanna be tangled up with someone like me?"