𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐖𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆, luke castellan

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐱

"Is Luke dating her?"

Sonia's words, tinged with a hint of tremor, pierced through Keira's reverie as she stared into the flickering golden flames of the campfire.

Seated with Keira and Jolene, the daughter of Apollo, usually the vibrant leader of camp sing-alongs, had opted out of her usual duties, citing exhaustion. Since Jon's passing, she had assumed responsibility for archery classes, a task testing her patience with the younger campers. Keira suspected it wouldn't be long before Sonia appealed to Chiron to relieve her of the teaching burden.

Jolene followed Sonia's gaze, her eyes landing on Luke and Jane seated at the opposite end of the amphitheater, their proximity catching her attention. Jane leaned in, whispering into Luke's ear with her hand covering it, while he responded with a smile, nodding in agreement. There was a distinct sparkle in Jane's eyes that Jolene, being her sister and a daughter of Aphrodite, understood went beyond mere friendly conversation.

Keira, on the other hand, was closely observing Annabeth in the scene, seated beside Luke. Her younger sister seemed uneasy, a furrow in her brow betraying her discomfort. The closeness between Luke and Jane, along with the considerable time they had been spending together recently, appeared to unsettle Annabeth. She had always been Luke's best friend and almost like a younger sister to him since they first met. Keira couldn't shake the feeling that Annabeth must be experiencing a sense of displacement in the face of Jane's presence.

However, Keira would never fully comprehend what was transpiring in Annabeth's mind as their relationship had grown distant since her and Luke's return from the quest. Before departing, Keira had entrusted her camp necklace to Annabeth, offering reassurance that it would safeguard her friends, aiming to alleviate any concerns or apprehensions she harbored about their well-being.

After Keira made that promise, Jon tragically perished during the quest. Annabeth, feeling betrayed by Keira, believed that her sister had deceived her. Upon their return, she reluctantly cast the necklace at Keira's feet, speaking to her older sister only when absolutely necessary and maintaining a noticeable distance. The admiration Annabeth once held for her older sibling had now been replaced by an icy detachment.

Keira felt the weight of her friends' curious stares, and as she met their amused expressions, she raised her eyebrows, her gaze flickering away from Annabeth. With a gruff tone, she asked, "What?"

"I don't know," Jolene innocently replied, twirling a strand of brown hair playfully in her hand. "We thought you might have some insight into what's happening between Luke and Jane, maybe?"

Keira let out a muffled laugh, "Why me?"

"Perhaps," the brunette suggested, choosing her words delicately, "you seemed quite comfortable chatting with him at your beachside party just minutes before he and Jane..."

"Oh, it was nothing important. We were just discussing counselor's stuff," the blonde dismissed with a wave of her hand.

"Whispering in each other's ears and with his hands on your waist?" the daughter of Aphrodite inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Keira slowly shifted her gaze to meet her friend's brown eyes, the brunette immediately swallowing hard as she encountered the steely gaze of the blonde.

"Yes, whispering in each other's ears and with his hands on my waist," the daughter of Athena declared coldly.

"You missed the opportunity, I guess," Jolene murmured under her breath so her friend wouldn't hear, turning her attention back to the music.

As Keira returned her gray eyes to the golden flames of the fire, memories of her party from about two weeks ago flooded her mind. A smirk played on her lips as she recalled the events of that night.