TONGUES & TEETH; Luke Castellan [ 1 ]

< NEVER LOVE AN ANCHOR >

LUKE'S POV

Luke couldn't keep his eyes off her across the hall. He was sure Dahlia kept talking to him but he was distracted, worried. Every once in a while Pandora would clutch her head a few tables away sat alone. When she did he saw the flicker of darkness in her wrists or her cheeks.

After the day before he was worried. She was being tasked with something. Something for Hades, he just had to figure out what.

He needed to know what it was, Annabeth felt the same watching the same movements play out. Over and over again until she stood moving across the hall to burn food she didn't even bother making demands for.

As she left he finally payed attention back to the conversation at hand. "...Chiron said it's getting worse that we might need to start guarding the barrier." Luke's eyes widened at Dahlia's words, the twins across the table seemingly listening to.

"After the birds, who knows what will be let in." Dahlia explained eyeing Micheal occasionally, a soft blush on her cheeks.

Luke's attention shifted back to Pandora, her shaky fingers tapping along the railing of the mess hall. Since returning he had noticed, ash was often on her fingers. He assumed she had been practicing using fire more often since she had left.

Another pained gasp left her lips as she jolted from the hall pacing off in the distance, Luke went to stand stopped by a harsh glare from Dahlia, the girl noticing the sudden departure of Pandora as well.

"—Luke." He didn't care what Dahlia had to say untangling himself from the bench as he took off after her. Pandora had hardly reached her cabin when she misstepped dizzily holding onto the rail to support herself.

"Pandora." His hand touched her waist gently as her head hunched over. Soft exhales was all he could hear as her eyes winced in pain. "Are you okay, you're—"
She straightened up turning as his grip loosened.

"..fine, just- just." Her knees buckled again and Luke caught her. "fine, really." She mumbled, Luke pulling her head up with his hand.

"You're bleeding again, Pandora? What's wrong, what's happening." She begun gasping Luke lowering to the ground. Her body seized as she clenched her jaw.
Others had begun to notice the commotion Annabeth the first to run over.

"Annabeth, fetch Chiron, now." He ordered the girl taking off as Pandora cursed under her gasping breaths. Blood dripped from her nose coating her skin. It wasn't red, rather black liquid leaving her body.

"Pandora, tell me what's happening?" She cursed again, black veins appearing up her neck. "Pandora." Her breathes were unnatural, as if someone was strangling her from the inside. "It's him isn't it." He was so sure.

"..fuck- fucking hell." She heaved grabbing at her throat as the veins only spread. "Reap- Reaper!" She called the dog bursting from inside the cabin. "Tell- Tell- him to fuck right- right off." The dog bound off, leaving Luke alone with the girl.

"Pandora." The blackness reached her cheeks and a small sob left her lips. "Fuck- Pandora." Luke didn't what to do, his fingers holding her shakily. "It's Hades, isn't it." She ignored him trying to wipe the black tears from her face.

"I'm fine- I'm fine Luke, he'll- he'll stop." Just as he thought the blackness would fill her eyes, it retracted disappearing from her skin. "Luke, move." Her breathes evened out as she flipped over coughing violently.

"Pandora- Pandora." She was sure, Luke would never stop saying her name, now that she was beside him. Sweat and tears dripped down her cheeks as she heard running footsteps, and hooves appear beside the pair.

"Miss Walker—" Chiron begun Pandora trying to regain her composure, Luke kneeling beside her, a comforting hand on her back.

"I'm fine Chiron, everyone's just being dramatic." She wiped the loose tears from her eyes, exhaling shakily. "It- It didn't mean anything." She wheezed, pain piercing through her head.

"Pandora, that wasn't nothing." Luke's voice beside her ear infuriated her. Pandora squeezed her shut tightly once she heard the whispers around. She'd be the laughing stock of the camp once again. "Why he's doing-

Her fingers reached out steadying herself on rails of the porch beginning to pull herself up. Suddenly, Luke had caught her for the second time once she tried to pull herself to her feet, nausea rushing over her again. "Get her to the infirmary." She felt darkness tug at her vision finally the teen falling unconscious.