TONGUES & TEETH; Luke Castellan [ 1 ]

< ICARUS >

Luke Castellan had been gone too long. He had left to spar hours ago and he would miss the fireworks if he stayed in the dark forest any longer. Pandora stood mumbling a small goodbye as she made her way off the beach and towards the forest.

Her sword was tucked into her belt as she weaved through dark outlines of trees. You'd never know what you found in the forest and with the breaches of the barriers, she wanted to stay prepared.

Overlapping voices grew closer as she spotted the tall figure of Luke Castellan in the distance. The only thing she didn't understand was that Luke had his sword drawn. Aimed towards a crouched figure on the ground. The figure below him was motionless almost as if they were tensing from fear.

"Luke?" She called softly but he hadn't noticed her continuing.

"You bewitched the hellhound, that night in the forest". It was Percy on the ground tensing, a sense of realisation on his face. "We had to make Chiron think the camp wasn't safe for you, so he would start you on your quest. We had to confirm his fears that Hades was after you. And it worked."

Slowly bit by bit Pandora's heart dropped.

"The flying shoes were cursed, They were supposed to drag me and the backpack into Tartarus."

Then it cracked.

"And they would have, if you'd been wearing them. But you gave them to the satyr, which wasn't part of the plan. Grover messes up everything he touches. He even confused the curse. You should have died in Tartarus, Percy. But don't worry, I'll leave you with my little friend to set things right."

Then it shattered.

Emerging from the darkness with her sword drawn, Pandora's voice broke, "It.. It can't be you-" A breath. "you... can't be the traitor." Her shaky tone was unusual, finally Luke turned to notice her. His sword dropped to his side, and his face slackened.

"My love- it's- it's not what it looks like." Luke shook his head his eyes widening, "I'm doing this for you, for us.. for- for all of us." Pandora held her sword trembling, her eyes watering, her lips parted.

"Oh god- Oh god." She clutched her chest a moment, she felt as if he really had broken her heart, "I can't- you knew. You knew everything, you made me think I was paranoid.. you killed Reaper." Luke stuttered over his words moving towards her but she took a step back.

Percy continued to tense, the scorpion continuing to scatter across his limbs. "Pandora, please, please you have to understand! You, you have to understand." She could hardly breath evenly but she held her ground.

"Are you that driven by hate that you'd do this, betray us all, betray the gods!" She didn't mean to yell but she couldn't help it, "My father will murder you when he finds out, Percy's father will! Call it off." She pointed her sword at Percy before back to her side.

"Betray you?" Luke scoffed, a certain darkness in his form, "Pandora, with Kronos the gods can't touch me! They are the bad guys can't you see!" He pointed to the sky and a rumble of thunder filtered through.

"I loved you." She couldn't look him in the eye, her eyes darted across the forest blinking back tears. "I'm an idiot.. I.. I loved you, father told me I was weak for it. He knew, he told me that night I came back." She met his eyes, "You made me weak." She spat raising her sword.

"Pandora you can still love me, I love you, I'm doing this for you, what have the gods ever done for us!" Pandora's expression shifting and the tears dried for her eyes.

"You've betrayed us." The words hung a silence between the pair as Percy mumbled another string of curses, the scorpion still sitting idly on his knee. "For the underworld." Pandora jolted forward meeting Luke's sword, he seemed shocked she had begun fighting but reciprocated the action.

"Pandora stop! I'm asking you to join me, please." She continued pushing him back, swinging with such anger Luke could hardly deflect them in time, "We could destroy them once and for all." She nicked Luke's shoulder, and he drove his blade up.

Pandora stumbling back and wiped the blood from just above her eye, the sound of metal hitting the ground. The cut opened and more blood seeped into her fingers.

"Pandora- please." She flinched away from him again, noticing both swords had hit the ground, "I didn't mean to." His eyes filled with tears, hurt flashing in his expression.

"Yes you did." Pandora picked her sword and slashed across his arm, Luke fell back beside his sword clutching at his arm. Once silence filled the pair again, Pandora couldn't help but drop her sword. Tears filled her eyes again and her knees buckled.

"Goodbye Percy." Luke mumbled sourly and before Pandora could move forward the scorpion stung Percy, with a slash of his sword a portal appeared, "You'll understand Pandora.. eventually." He disappeared and a sob left Pandora's lips.

"Pandora- Pandora, you need to-" Percy could hardly get a word out as the poison begun to take effect. She tried to stand but her knees were weak, finally she pulled herself to her feet. "Help, Pandora you need-", Shakily she brought her fingers to her mouth a loud whistle travelling through the forest.

Another sob left her lips and she fell back to the ground beside Percy. His name left her lips weakly, her hand holding the wounded part of her face gently, "Jerry!" She noticed Percy didn't have long, his eyes rolled back and his skin paled, "Jerry please!" The whistle had attracted his attention almost instantly.

"Percy, hey Jackson!" Pandora shuffled towards the boy, tapping his face urgently. Percy peeled his eyes back open, staring at girl above. "Percy Jackson, you listen to me. Things will change and it'll be because of you, stay awake please." Pandora wiped her face before Jerry sprinted over sliding to the ground beside the pair.

"Pandora- Percy?" Percy passed out, leaving the sobbing daughter of the underworld, a worried son of Apollo and a dying son of Poseidon.