CHANCE | luke castellan

ARCHERY

- What are we doing today?; I asked Luke as we left the Hermes cabin together.
- Archery.; he replied.
- Archery? I like archery. Once we went to a summer camp, and there they had archery as an activity. I was very good at it.; I said.
- I believe you will be great at archery.; he replied.
-I hope.

We arrived and Annabeth was already there, I quickly said hello to her.
- And what are you doing today?; Annabeth asked.
-I was thinking that Helen might be good at archery.; Luke answered.
-Arthur just left, I'm so sorry, he could show Helen a little more about archery.; Annabeth said. Who is Arthur? He's probably good at archery.
-It is OK. I'll show Helen some basics. In fact, Helen already has experience with archery.; Luke answered and I just agreed.
- That's nice to hear, good luck then. I believe Helen will be great.; Annabeth winked at me and went on her way. Man how I love this girl. She really makes my day.

- So let's start.; Luke said. He took the arrow and set it on fire. He shot an arrow and missed the entire target. The burning arrow fell on the grass and started burning. Luke quickly ran to the burning arrow and started jumping on it to put it out. I was dying of laughter.
-It's not funny, the wind blew the arrow aside.; Luke defended himself. In fact, there was no wind at all, the day was perfect. I couldn't stop laughing.
- Yes, I believe you.; I said with a laugh.
- Let's see how you shoot it.; he said, handing me an arrow. He started to light it, but I dodged it. I don't want to set half the camp on fire.

I shot the arrow and hit it straight in the center of the target.
-Beginner's luck.; Luke said
- Just to prove to you that it is not beginner's luck, I will hit the target one more time.; I said.
- Do you want a bet?; he asked.
-What kind of bet?;
- If you don't hit the target, you go swimming with me at night.
- Are you crazy? Do you want Dionysus to make us clean the house with pegasus until the end of the year?
- Is that the reason why you don't want to go Mr. D or are you afraid of water?
- I'm not afraid of anything.
-Okay then, accept the bet.
- And what do I get if I hit the target?
-Whatever you want.
-If I hit the target, at lunch you will stand on the table and say out loud for everyone to hear: "I am the worst shooter in the camp. I almost set the camp on fire because I missed the target."; I said. The smile fell from his face. It was obvious that he did not want to accept. Still, it would be too much of a shame for him.
- Terrified that I will hit the target, huh Castellan?; I asked, and he just looked at the lighter in his hand. He handed me a lighter and said:
-Not a bit.
I took the lighter and lit the arrow. I took aim at the target and shot the arrow.

Right on target, again. Luke grabbed his head and I laughed.
-You lost, again.; I was laughing.
- I admit, you are better at archery than me. In sprinting too and running too.; he said somewhat dutifully. He was laughing, but somehow I could feel his sadness.

- I was just joking, you don't have to make that bet.; I said to cheer him up. He just smiled and ran his right hand through his hair.
- It was a bet, and the bet must be honored.; He said. If he really wants to do it, let him do it, I told him that he doesn't have to.

We practiced archery a little more, Luke missed the target three times in a row. The first time, as he claims, the sun was in his eyes, the second time his hand shook, and the third time he was disturbed by the rustling of leaves. He really can't stand being bad at archery. Probably because Luke Castellan, the best swordsman in the camp, couldn't bear to have something go wrong. It didn't bother me, I just saw that he was like that, and I accepted it. I wouldn't even call it a flaw, he's just the way he is, and I can't change that.

-Dude you're really bad at this. We'd better stop before you shoot someone in the head, or rather in the leg.; I said. I didn't want to add salt to the wound, but we really had to stop.
- Otherwise, I'm good, it's just not my day today.; he said dropping the bow to the floor. I wanted to try one more time to shoot the arrow at the target, and I hit the center again.
- I think my predictions are correct, you really must be Apollo's child. I haven't seen such a talent for a long time.; Luke said.
- Maybe, I don't know.; I replied, putting the bow in its place.
-Don't worry, the gods are watching everything, your father is probably watching you now.; Luke said, probably feeling bad that my father hadn't claimed me yet. To be honest, it didn't even bother me too much, I felt nice in the Hermes cabin. I made a friend, which is the most important thing for me.

We arrived at the lunch table, Chris was already there.
-Keeping up with you is more difficult than keeping up with wild centaurs.; Chris said after we said hello.
-Today we practiced archery.; Luke said.
-Did Helen beat you in that too?; Chris asked. Luke didn't say anything, he just hung his head. That gave Chris an answer. I saw Annabeth waving and calling me over. She probably wanted to say something to me. I said goodbye to the guys and started walking towards her.

-Hi Annabeth; I greeted her.
- Helen, I wanted to introduce you to someone. This is Arthur Perez, Apollo's son. He is the best archer in our camp, he can hit any target with an arrow. Annabeth introduced a tall boy with light brown hair and dark green eyes.
-Pleased to meet you.; I said.
-The pleasure is mine.; he said and took my hand. I thought he wanted to shake hands, but instead he took my hand and gently put it to his lips, and kissed it lightly. I felt my cheeks start to burn, I was probably redder than a tomato.

- I was nearby when you were practicing archery, so I saw how well you were doing. I haven't seen such talent for a long time, so I thought...; Arthur started to speak, but was interrupted.
- A little attention please!; someone shouted. We all turned and saw Luke on the table.
- What is he doing?; Annabeth asked. He wasn't really doing that, he wasn't really going to honor that stupid bet. I hoped, but in vain.
- I just wanted to declare in front of you all that I am the worst archer in the camp. I almost set the entire target on fire after missing it. Thank you for attention.; he said and got off the table. I looked around and most of them were laughing. Chris started clapping and most of the kids at the Hermes table did too. Luke was the golden heart of the Hermes cabin, of course everyone supported him. I started clapping too. I felt a huge smile on my face, it's really crazy, but in a positive way. Then I realized that he keeps his promises.
- This was strange...; Arthur broke me out of my thoughts. I turned to him again to hear what he had to say.
-... anyway, are you perhaps interested in practicing archery together? I could show you various tricks.; he finished. To be honest, I didn't listen too much to him, my thoughts were only on Luke. I still can't believe he did that.
- Of course, why not.; I still answered.