Luke Jackson: My Story

Reunion

A/N: time skip, Luke is sixteen now, this is a year after Zoe's big fight between her and Annabeth. (Read PANB for more info.) This should be the only major time skip, but here's a refresher...

I hadn't seen my sisters, Taylor and Lena for over a month. It was just like last year, I hoped this girls quest thing wouldn't become a regular thing. As much as Zoe, Charlie and I liked having the house to ourselves, we did miss our family feeling while again.

The three of us had been dropped off at camp almost a week ago and Ruth, Marcus, and Troy and of course myself missed Lauren. But I think Ruth missed her most of all, it was obvious that she missed her friend and she said, quite often that she didn't understand why she hung out with us, (that was mainly directed towards Troy and Marcus).

I was the first at the table this morning. The campers had won a big debate over Chiron about us getting to choose our seats, Chiron finally gave in but we had to eat meals with our cabin mates twice a month for one week. As I sat down, I had a strange craving for my dad's pancakes and my mom's eggs. Sure enough, that's what appeared on my plate, thank the gods for the Camp magic plates. Just as I had shoved a huge forkful of pancakes and eggs mixed together into my mouth I heard Ruth call my name, "Luke! Luke, guess what?!"

I took a big gulp, before I coughed up some eggs, "what?" I coughed, doubling over spitting eggs on the floor.

"Gods that's frickin' disgusting." Ruth rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Not the point," I coughed again, "what were you going to say?" My voice died off as my throat turned dry.

"I got an iris message from Lauren last night!" Ruth squealed.

"What? What did she say? Are they coming back soon?" I jumped up. I missed my sisters and Lauren of course, it had been over a month since I'd seen any of them.

"She said they're coming back sometime today! Isn't that so awesome?!" Ruth bounced up and down, she was about as ADHD as Troy.

"Uh yeah it is! Gods that's great Ruth." I whooped.

"What's so great?" I heard Marcus yawn.

"Weren't you listening dummy? Lauren is coming back something today, I got an iris message from her last night." Ruth grinned, I couldn't stop grinning either.

"That's great, but you know what sounds even better?" Marcus yawned.

"What?" Ruth and I rolled our eyes.

"A venti macchiato from Starbucks." Marcus yawned.

"Basic white bitch." Troy teased, clapping his hands on Marcus' shoulders.

"Really Troy?" Ruth sassed him.

"Honey, I was speaking the truth." Troy snapped his fingers at Ruth whose cheeks flushed red as she rolled her eyes.

"Marcus, you can have your white girl drink as soon as you sit down. Do any of you have archery at eleven?" I asked my friends as we began to chow down our breakfast.

"No, I have battle strategies." Ruth answered, before inserting a spoonful of Lucky Charms into her mouth.

"Nope, I got sword play." Troy crunched on a piece of bacon.

"Nature studies, sorry dude." Marcus took a long sip of his "fancy" Starbucks drink.

"Aw nuts, how about a rock wall competition during lunch?" I offered.

"I'm down." Troy raised his hand.

"Ditto" Ruth added.

"Sorry guys, I just heard that Dani Darwin is single, so I've gotta make my move before I lose my chance." Marcus pretended to crack his knuckles and fingers.

"You're so disgusting Marcus." Ruth scoffed, trying to hide the annoyed smile on her face.

"Yeah come on man. Haven't you tried to date every girl in our grade, at school and at Camp?" I laughed, that got Troy and Ruth laughing.

"Shut up Jackson." Marcus chucked his empty coffee cup at me. I ducked out of the way and the paper cup hit the ground.

"Yeah Marcus, you're the biggest player in our grade at school, same with her." Troy snickered.

"Ha ha very funny Valdez. At least I know how to flirt, unlike you three chumps." Marcus retorted playfully.

"Here's how this is going to play out Marcus, it's like baseball. That weird walk you do when you try to look sexy around girls." I began. Ruth and Troy snickered and I continued. "Strike one. Then you'll try to say something to relate to her about what she likes."

"Strike two." Ruth giggled.

"And then you'll try to flirt and stare into her eyes and she'll kick your ass and you'll get rejected just like every other time you do this. Strike three, he's out." I heard a voice say that made my heart beat faster. Everyone turned around to see Lauren with her hands on her hips and her curled brown hair hanging loosely past her shoulders. Her green and brown eyes twinkled with mischief and an evil smirk was plastered on her face.

Ruth jumped up faster than lightning, "Lauren! Thank the gods you're back." Ruth squeezed her.

Lauren's face turned red and she wheezed in response, "yeah, I know. Missed you too and you're crushing me."

"Oh, sorry." Ruth backed away, then she punched Lauren's shoulder, "if you ever leave me with these morons ever again I'm gonna kill you."

Lauren returned her playful punch, "I don't think I'm going anywhere soon, and yes. I promise I won't leave you alone with these three doofuses." Lauren laughed, crinkling her nose, which for some reason was super cute. Luke gods, it's just her nose, how can a nose be cute?

"Shut up Winters, you love us and we know it." Marcus laughed after he clapped her shoulders.

"Yeah Laur, you know it's true." Troy smirked, patting her back.

I was the last to stand up and approach her, "well bird brain, aren't you going to say hello?" Lauren teased.

"Nah, I don't think so." I toyed with her, but I couldn't stop staring at her. What happened to her? She looked so...mature and...grown up.

"Come here you idiot." Lauren wrapped her arms around me, I did the same, she smelled so good. Her hair smelled like rosemary mint, my shoulders relaxed he longer the two of us stayed there, I think hers did too. "I missed you." I thought I heard a voice say, before I could respond or even process if she had actually said it, Troy intervened.

"Alright you two love birds, break it up you've hugged long enough to make it weird."

Lauren and I pulled away a bit to fast, now making the situation even more awkward. "I don't know where you got love birds. We aren't dating, stupid." Lauren's voice sounded confident but it kinda died off at the end.

"Yeah, I mean the two of us...dating? Come on you guys that's preposterous, she's way out outta my league anyway." I added, but I hadn't meant any of it. But she was way out of my league.

"You got that right Jackson." Lauren gave a nervous laugh.

"Whatever you two, Lauren! What's your schedule today?" Troy asked.

"Uh, I think I have battle strategy."

"Yes! Praise the gods of Olympus we have it together, let's go before we're late." Ruth grabbed her hand and the two of them raced off towards the gathering area for their designated activity.

I watched the two of them run down, but I couldn't stop staring at Lauren. She'd gotten taller, she was still smaller than me but maybe by an inch. Had she always smelled like rosemary mint? When did she, how do I say this, grow up? On a physical level I mean, she looked built, more filled out, more intimidating. I mean she was still cute, she always had been, but now she was beautiful, intimidatingly beautiful. Stop it Luke, what's gotten into you?

"Not dating huh?" Marcus bumped my shoulder with a weird look in his face, like he knew what I'd been thinking about.

"Sure Luke. You did get one thing right, she's way outta your league." Troy snickered.

My face flushed red for a second before I shook it off, "whatever you guys are sick, come on, let's go."