The Child of Hera

Chapter 43-Luke

Where was she?!  Where was she?!  He couldn't find her.  Where did she go?!  He ran all over the camp, searching for her.  Where could she have gone?!  Tears streamed down his cheeks as he searched the pavilion.  The amphitheater.  The infirmary.  Gone!

He ran to the clearing where they had fought for the flag.  Looking up, he saw a figure in the sky...flying away from him.  He called her name.  Over and over.  The tears were blurring the world around him.  She kept on flying.  His pleas for her to come back faded as she faded from his sight.  As did the rest of the world...

"Should we wake them up?"

"Probably.  But they're so cute!"

"I almost just want to sit here and watch them forever."

"They've already missed breakfast.  We have to get them up eventually."

"Birukie!"

"Hey Leo.  Do me a favor."

"What?"

"Shut up."

Luke shifted in his position and groaned.  He heard the click of a camera.  He tried to remember where he was.  He was in a very fluffy bed, with the softest pillow ever.  Oh right.  He didn't move.  He knew he shouldn't have fallen asleep.  Again.  But still, he just wanted to lay there a little while longer.

He was laying next to Birdie, and they were clutching each other like they were the only things anchoring each other to the world.  Her wings had formed a half shell behind them, and his head rested in the crook of her right one.  They were resting in a nest of tangled blankets.  He didn't dare open his eyes.

"Should we tell Chiron?"

Okay, time to get up.  He yawned, and everybody who was standing there flinched.  He opened his eyes, but didn't retract his arms from around Birdie.  He was still afraid that she'd fly away from him.

"Hey," he whispered.

Leo waved awkwardly.

"Shhhh.  She's still sleeping."  Luke cuddled his head in her wings.  She sighed.

Piper giggled.  There was Leo and Piper, Hazel, Jason, Calypso, Percy, and Annabeth.

"Is there no privacy?" he asked, still whispering.

The girls were sent into a fit of giggles, and Leo snickered.

"You guys really need to stop falling asleep together," said Percy.

Luke smirked.  "Why Jackson?  Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"Shut up, Luke," said Annabeth.

He closed his eyes and rested against Birdie's wings for a little longer.  He didn't want to get up.  It was too perfect right here.  Warm, soft, and with Birdie.

After a while of just laying there, with everyone watching, Annabeth just said, "Okay, time to get up!  If you guys lay here any longer, Leo will think up something way inappropriate to say, and I don't think certain innocent ears can handle that.

Luke raised an eyebrow.  She nodded her head towards Hazel, and then Birdie.  He rolled his eyes.  Annabeth grew up way too fast.

"Fine," he said, "but can you guys leave, so she doesn't freak out?"

Piper looked like she wanted to say something, but thought against it.  They all left, leaving him with Birdie.  He stared at him a moment longer.  She was a mess.  She was also the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

He retracted his arms from around her, and she looked a little distressed.  He took her arms and unraveled them from around him as well.  Then he shook her a little.

"Hey, Princess," he said quietly, "time to get up."

She groaned.  "Nooooo.  Tooo waaarm."

He chuckled.  "We fell asleep again."

Her eyes opened wide.  "Oops."

He smiled down at her.  "We should probably get up before anyone else catches us."

"Anyone else?"

Luke briefly explained waking up to a bunch of people standing over the two sleeping.  Her eyes widened even more.

"I hope they don't tell Chiron."

"That would be bad," he answered.  "Come on.  Time to get up."

Reluctantly, the couple got up and parted.  Luke went back to his cabin, wishing that he could just stay there forever.  No interruptions or people judging them.  Just the two of them forever and forever.  No quests.  No prophecies.  No gods.  No fate.  Just them.

Forever and forever.