TONGUES & TEETH; Luke Castellan [ 1 ]

< DARK RED >

Luke hadn't seen Pandora since she came in covered in blood. The dead Nemean lion's head tumbling to the ground before Luke had whisked Rhea from the sight. He had watched Pandora walk straight past him, as if they had never met. As if they were strangers.

By the next morning he couldn't get it off his mind. She looked different, dark, darker than she was. He wanted to so desperately talk to her, to make sure she okay. She hadn't been heard from for 6 months, 6 months was a long time. Luke had turned 17, Annabeth 11 and Dahlia 16 the week after Pandora left.

"Luke, stop thinking about it, you're torturing yourself." Dahlia hushed beside him, the table the quietest it had been in 6 months. "She'll come to us if she wants to apologise." Dahlia huffed in a battle with herself similarly.

"Apologise?" Annabeth slipped into a seat beside Luke. She had been the only one to defend Pandora in the past 6 months. "She hasn't done anything wrong, what's she apologising for." Luke tried to hush the girl but went unnoticed, Dahlia's eyes hardening.

"She left without a goodbye to any of us Annabeth, let alone she swore at us before she left." Dahlia wasn't sure how to feel, she wished to talk to the girl too but was too stubborn. "Besides she's dangerous Annabeth. Slaying that- that thing then dumping it for all the children to see, perhaps we should be questioned who was the mon—

Luke coughed awkwardly for a moment as across from them the twins were the tamest they had ever acted. Jerry seemed occupied feeding himself, while Micheal sent glances to Luke in confusion every so often.

Luke hadn't been eating as well since Pandora had left, Dahlia noticed so did Micheal but they hardly said anything. Luke didn't liked being looked after, fussed over.
His chin rested on his hands as he scanned the camp in the distance.

"Luke I didn't mean—"

"I'm going for a walk." He announced leaving before anyone could join him walking off. He wasn't really sure where he was going, his feet just kept moving. Towards the cabins, then towards his own, towards the lake till suddenly he stopped.

There she was sat on the edge of the lake, her feet dipped in the water. He went to turn away stopped at the sound of her voice, "Hello Luke." She didn't bother turning her head still scanning her eyes over the lake.

Luke stopped half turn, and swivelled back around. A shaky exhale and he stepped    forward a few steps till he was beside her.
His eyes drifted down towards the girl. He stared for a moment, at the blackness of her fingertips, the ash that coated some of her skin. Then at the large white scar along her right leg.

"A gift from my father." Pandora could feel his eye at her legs, her ankles in the lake water however the rest of her leg still visible. "It's a long story." His eyes then flickered to her face, the paleness of her skin. The occasional tremble of her lip as if she were still in pain.

Luke was lost for words for the first time instead he sat beside her, a significant gap between them as his hands rested on his knees. He too stared across the lake unable to express anything towards the girl.

"Dahlia still hate me?" Pandora shifted fingertip over fingertip desperate to rid herself of the ash stained on her fingers.
Luke gave her a short nod in which she sighed, "Good." Pandora placed her fingers back in her lap looking down to the water.

"..I missed you Pans." Pandora stiffened beside Luke who turned his head completely towards her. He watched her expression shift somewhat. It was unreadable, concern or hurt flashing across her face.

"I've changed Luke." Pandora mumbled never meeting his eyes once, "She's gone." She exhaled shakily, hardly noticeable.

"Who's gone?" Luke cautioned standing up beside her as she too stood up shuffling in her feet. Her eyes never left the lake as rolled her tongue across her teeth nervously.

"My mother." She looked to him emotionlessly, "Dead. I killed her." Luke couldn't hide his shock, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping open slightly. They stayed in a silence for a moment longer before Pandora took her leave moving past the shocked teen.

"Pandora." He didn't know what to say, he didn't have the words. Pandora stopped for a moment turning to face him, "I'm sorry."
She gulped nervously for a moment taking another step back.

"Don't be Luke.. I wanted to." Pandora turned back around walking back to the dark cabin in the distance. Luke waited a moment longer. He just didn't know what to say.