I 025. I

𝑯𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔

❝ drop the sword ❞

ANOTHER ARGUMENT ENSUED. Ariadne wanted only her and Annabeth to go— Luke would most likely only listen to them. If anybody could get go to him or talk some sense into his head, it was them. But Percy wouldn't have it. He told her that either they all went together, or nobody went at all.

"Nobody!" Tyson suggested. "Please?"

He ended up coming along. They stopped at their cabin to grab their belongings before double-checking they had everything. Her ring was on her finger, the necklace in her bag, she had everything she needed.

Percy didn't want Tyson to carry anything but Annabeth insisted it was alright; Tyson could carry all three duffle bags over one shoulder with ease.

The group snuck around corners and down the halls, following the YOU ARE HERE signs in the direction of the admiralty suite. Annabeth used her Yankee's cap to become invisible and was their scout ahead. She quickly ran back and grabbed her friends and Tyson, hissing at them, "Hide!"

Ariadne ducked behind a door which was conveniently there. She didn't know where her friends were but she watched as the boys passed. Her eyes widened at the sight of one of them.

Her veins burned even more with anger.

Betrayal crossed her face once she noticed Chris Rodriguez. She had made a small friendship with him I've the years, conversing between capture the flag games and during the regular activities. He was incredibly nice. The boy was an undetermined camper who resided in the Hermes cabin, he was always quiet. But she realized he was quiet because he observed everything. And he was in the same cabin as Luke... it all made sense. If it wasn't their mission to be undetected and spy on Luke, she would jump out and beat the boy down.

How many other campers were spying on them for Kronos's side? Who had Luke influenced?

"You see that Aethipian drakon in the cargo hold?" he asked the other demigod next to him. The brunette didn't recognize the other boy and assumed he never made it to camp, she was saddened by that thought.

The other demigod laughed, "Yeah, it's awesome."

"I hear they got two more coming," Chris continued. "They keep arriving at this rate, oh man— no contest!"

Drakons were no joke. They were monsters the size of dragons— a millennia older— that could spit out acid and paralyze you with one look. Ariadne always said she could take one down but that was just fear talking, in reality, if she ever saw one she would run and hide.

But when Chris spork about camp and his friends— after she thought they were friends— it hurt her. Because while they were laughing about monsters, many campers were about to lose the only home they had known, no other place for them to go.

Ariadne didn't know where her friends were, only when she passed a large glass window did she actually stop. A group of monsters huddled around a young man in Greek armor who was hacking at a straw dummy which was covered in Camp Half-Blood's signature orange shirt. Among the group were what seemed like a dozen Laistrygonian giants, two Hellhounds and a few Scythian Dracaenae— Dragon Women— human females which had two spree to tails for legs.

Her legs drifted around and towards a set of double oak doors which were closed. She was so caught up in the sight of them and what could be behind it that she hadn't noticed the two, tall things. One placed a hand onto her shoulder, his nails— no, claws— digging into her skin.

The girl gulped as she caught sight of the paw-like feet and snout noses, teeth all canines. Their chests was full of brown fur which was as thick as a poodle's. In there hands were javelins which held a fine point on the tip, ready to run her through.

Neither questioned who she was and opened the doors, walking through them as they pushed her as well. She was shoved into a far corner of the room by a wardrobe against the wall while she stood scanning the room stoically.

It was huge. A large set of windows painted the back wall with the view above the stern. Green sea and blue sky was pasted across her vision with the colors popping so prettily, stretching onward and towards the far horizon. The floor had a nice set of hardwood with a Persian rug thrown across it, under two sofas. In the corner diagonal from her rested a dining table of mahogany wood filled with food: pizza, Dr. Pepper bottles and a stack of roast beef sandwiches laid upon a silver platter.

Ariadne noticed something that made her blood run cold. Upon a velvet dais avians the wall in the back was a golden casket. A sarcophagus with Ancient Greek engravings of cities on fire and hero's dying tragically. She felt angry and distraught with the casket in the room, her body not liking it.

But she knew who was in there.

Her heart beat quickly when she realized she couldn't fight him. The close proximity to camp allowed him to give her dreams, but he didn't seem to talk to her, like he couldn't.

She noticed Luke standing there and she hid behind the dresser, hoping he hadn't seen her being pushed in. The teen boy she knew had gone. Gone were the familiar Bermuda shorts and t-shirts. Traded in for a button down, khaki shorts and leather loafers shoes. His sandy-blonde hair once messy across his head was neatly cut, looking professionally done. A regular frat boy look. But the one thing that stuck out was the jagged scar under his eye. A reminder of who he used to be, or the person she hoped was still in there.

His blue eyes which were once kind, were now hard and stern as they looked over at the twins which brought her into the room. "Good, you're here."

One of the spoke up, voice ruff and deep. "We got here as quick as we could." For some reason, neither told the teenage boy she was on the room... unless he already knew.

"Really?" He questioned sarcastically. "If you call 'quick' the speed of a grandmother." The boy turned his back to the two and gazed at the sarcophagus, a dark look in his eyes. It wasn't like him, it wasn't Luke. "Chiron always knew about the Prophecy. I always asked him to tell me, but the fool wouldn't. Never. He told Annabeth and Ariadne but never me!" She could hear the malice and disgust in his words, watching as his hands clenched and unclenched every now and then. "Once He is resurrected, we will finally know who it is the prophecy is referring to ourselves. And the fools won't know which way to turn."

The Great Prophecy. Annabeth and her were not meant to know, and in Chiron's words, "Especially not Ariadne." The blonde had informed the teen boy and the rage he held was enough to make her and Annabeth cower away. But it had to be Percy the Prophecy was referring to; he's the only living child of the Big Three. Originally, it was Thalia, but she's dead.

Luke narrowed his eyes at the floor, "I do know one thing about Prophecy. 'Daughter of the Vines,' is in it."

The second twin looked confused, "Why? Who is talking about?" Luke smirked darkly but never answered, her body had chills running up and down.

"You really think that old horseman is gone for good?" The first twin asked."

A cold laugh flowed from the blonde boy's lips, sending a shiver down her spine. "They can't trust him. Not with the skeletons in his closet." What did that mean? "The poisoning of the tree was the final straw. Don't you think, Aria?"

Ariadne felt her body become frozen with fear and surprise. She knew he must've noticed her hiding, how stupid could she be? Her shakily legs let her stand up slowly. The girl's eyes were wide and her heart hammered against her chest.

He gave her a smile that seemed kind— but she knew she couldn't trust it. "I'm surprised you didn't kill anyone, it seems like something you would do."

She could help the scowl that crossed her lips, "You'll never do it. Whatever you're planning, you won't get away with it." A glare rested on him.

"Aria," she hated him calling her that. "I thought you were smart. Sit down with me, there's a conversation we need to have, it's long overdue."

"If you think I'm going to sit down across from you and have a heart to heart, you are the stupid one."

Luke started forward, steps slow and heavy while she glared him down. Both twins raised their weapons ready to strike her down if she moved. The girl let her fingers slip off the gold band on her finger before twisting it into her sword.

She pointed it at the boy's throat while he glared her down, "You know I'm better than you, Luke. Don't even try."

The twins took a step forward but the teen held his hand up for them to stop, and they did. Waiting for the right moment to attack as they noted with angry breaths.

"Drop the sword, Ariadne," he told her through clenched teeth. "I just want to talk."

"To hell you want to."

Luke growled, "Ariadne—"

Double doors were thrown open as Percy rushed through hem with Riptide in his palm. When he noticed Luke he scowled, but when he saw the sword at the teen's throat and Ariadne backed against a wall, he almost let out a growl. Annabeth and Tyson followed behind him.

Luke gave a grin, "Well, isn't this just a family reunion. Come right in."

***

     "DROP THE SWORD, ARIA."

She didn't drop the sword. "Screw you."

Luke let out an aggravated sigh, "Aria, drop the sword." He sent the twins behind Annabeth, Percy and Tyson. "Drop it or they get a javelin in their chests."

The girl had no idea if he would do it or not, he wasn't the same Luke she knew before. Her only choice was to look at her friends and sigh. Annabeth's eyes held intense fear and beavers, Tyson was scared and Percy... he was worried for her.

Ariadne has no choice but to turn her sword back into it's ring, letting it fall into Luke's palm which he stuffed inside his pockets.

She was guided in between Percy and Annabeth, the former giving her a concerned look to make sure she was all right. The girl gave him a nod which did nothing for his worries. All he wanted was to hold her hand and give her a big hug, but they couldn't right now.

"Sit," Luke told them as he gestured towards the sofas.

None of them did.

Annabeth was prodded in the back by a javelin and she gave one of the twins a glare. Luke noticed, "Where are my manners?" Gone, like your mind and loyalty to us. "These are my assistants, Agrius and Oreius. Perhaps you've heard of them."

She had. And the story replayed through her mind, hairs standing up on the back of her neck.

Luke tilted his head, seeming to enjoy their expressions. "You don't know Agrius and Oreius's story? Their mother... well, it's said, really. Aphrodite ordered the young woman to fall in love. She refused and ran to Artemis for help. Artemis let her become one of her maiden huntresses, but Aphrodite got her revenge. She bewitched the young women into falling in love with a bear. When Artemis found, she abandoned the young girl in disgust. Typical of the gods, wouldn't you say? They fight with one another and the poor humans get caught in the middle. The girl's twin sons here, Agrius and Oreius, have no love for Olympus. They like half-bloods well enough, though..."

"For lunch," Agrius growled.

"Hehe! Hehe!" Oreius laugh, tongue licking his lips. The twin laughed until his brother shouted at him.

"Go punish yourself!"

Oreius whimpered before walking towards the corner of the room near the table, settling on a stool before slamming his head into the wooden table, plates rattling.

Luke laid across the sofa like it was a regular occurrence, his feet propped up on the coffee table. "Well, Percy, we let you survive another year. I hope you appreciated it. How's your mom? How's school?"

"You poisoned Thalia's tree."

"Right to the point, eh?" the teen sighed. "Okay, sure I poisoned the tree. So what?"

Ariadne growled, "So what?" Her voice was ready to start shouting but she tried keeping it leveled. "So what?! Thalia saved your life! How dare you?! You betrayed her—"

"I didn't betray her!" Luke shouted. "The gods betrayed her, Aria! If Thalia was alive, she'd be on my side."

"That's not true!" Annabeth yelled. But it was as if she didn't believe that statement herself. Ariadne didn't know the daughter of Zeus, but Annabeth did.

"If you knew what was coming, you'd understand—"

"I understand you want to destroy the camp!" Annabeth snapped. "You're a monster!"

Luke shook his head, as if they were in the wrong. "The gods have blinded you. Can't imagine a world without them, Annabeth! What good is that ancient history you study? Three thousand years of baggage! Aria, you know how they won't help you control your powers. If it weren't for the lies and deceit, maybe your mom would still be here. Your powers will be your own downfall, Aria. They're fated to destroy everything if you choose the wrong side, you know you're on the wrong side." He stood up and stepped towards her while the others watched. Her eyes focused on the ground as the build up was happening inside her mind. "Aria, I can help... I want to protect you, my somewhat-sister."

It was tempting, so, so tempting. But the promise she made. She swore on the River Styx to protect Percy, and if she broke that, what hero would she be? Luke's eyes held so many emotions, like he was thinking of their weekly picnics on the beach, or their sword lessons. But she couldn't trust him— not anymore. "My name is Ariadne," she whispered hoarsely.

Luke looked as if she had punched him in the gut, but it twisted to anger. "I know you, Ariadne. You deserve better than tagging on some hopeless quest to save the camp. The both of you do. Half-Blood Hill will be overrun by monsters within the month. The heroes who survive will have no choice vu to join us or be hunted to extinction. You really want to be on the losing team... with company like this?"

He pointed over at Tyson. Percy gave him a frown, "Hey!"

"Traveling with a Cyclops," Luke was seething at that point. "Talk about betraying Thalia— you are dishonoring her memory! I'm surprised. You of all people—"

"Stop it!" Annabeth cried out before burying her head in her hands, ready to cry. Ariadne tried taking even breaths but they spluttered out of her lungs.

She couldn't breath. She really couldn't. The girl wasn't grasping the idea that their Like was gone, but she had to. Tears were at the corner of her eyes, willing to spill out. Her heart reached and eyes burned with unshed tears when she stared at her feet.

"Leave them alone!" Percy snapped. "And leave Tyson out of this."

"Oh, yeah," Luke laughed, "I heard. Your father claimed him."

Percy was surprised and Luke smiled. "Yes, Percy. I know all about that. And about your plan to find the Fleece. What were those coordinates, again... thirty, thirty-one, seventy-five, twelve? You see, I still have friends at camp who keep me posted."

"Spies, you mean."

The son of Hermes shrugged, "How many insults from your father can you stand, Percy? You think he's grateful to you? You think Poseidon cares for you any more than he cares for this monster?"

Tyson seems to make a growl in his throat, fists clenched tightly.

"The gods are so using you, Percy. Do you have any idea what's in store for you if you reach your sixteenth birthday? Has Chiron even told you the prophecy?"

"I-I know what I need to know," Percy fires back, but he sounded hesitant. "Like, who my enemies are."

"Then you're a fool."

Tyson freaked out after that. He reached over and smashed a dining chair against the wall. "Percy is not a fool!"

He swung his fists at Luke's head and that was when Ariadne broke. She remembered that night— the Cyclops swinging Thalia out of its hand and hitting the newly made barrier. "Tyson!" she shouted out. "NO!"

The boy hesitated with confused eyes before the twins grabbed each of his arms and slammed him into the ground. It shook the boat.

Luke's eyes held no sympathy, "Too bad, Cyclops. Looks like my grizzly friends together are more than a match for your strength. Maybe I should've let them—"

"Luke," Percy told him. "Listen to me. Your father sent us."

The Hermes boy was full of rage. "Don't— ever— mention him."

"He told us to take this boat. I thought it was just for a ride, but he sent us here to find you. He told me he won't give up on you, no matter how angry you are."

"Angry?" Luke roared. "Give up on me? He abandoned me, Percy! You tell Hermes it's going to happen, too. Each time a half-blood joins us, the Olympians grow weaker and we grow stronger. He grows stronger," his finger points towards the golden sarcophagus.

"So?" Percy gave him a shrug. "What's so special...?" His face went pale like he saw a ghost. "Who's, you don't mean—"

"He's reforming," Luke said. "Little by little, we're calling his life force out of the pit. With every recruit who pledges our cause, another small piece appears—"

"That's disgusting!" Annabeth cried.

Luke gave her a sneer. "Your mother was born from Zeus's split skull, Annabeth. I wouldn't talk. Soon there will be enough of the Titan lord so that we can make him whole again we will piece together a new body for him, a work worthy of the forges of Hephaestus."

"You're insane."

"Join us and you'll be rewarded," he tried persuading them. "We have powerful friends, sponsors right enough to buy this cruel ship and more. Percy, your mother will never have to work again. You can buy her a mansion. You can have power, fame— whatever you want. Annabeth, you can realize your dream of being an architect. You can build a monument to last a thousand years." His eyes turned to the brunette who finally looked up, "Ariadne, you can become what a famous singer, you always talked about that. A singer who wins Grammies and Grammies. You can find your mother—"

"Go to Tartarus," she spat at him.

He sighed, "A shame."

His hand picked up a TV remotes and pressed a red button. A door opened and two crew members with glazed eyes walked through, armed with nightsticks.

"Ah, good, security," Luke told them. "I'm afraid we have some stowaways."

"Yes, sir," they said in unison.

The blond teen turned to Oreius. "It's time to feed the Aethiopian drakon. Take these fools below and show them how it's done."

"Hehe! Hehe!"

"Let me go, too!" Agrius said. "My brother is worthless. That Cyclops—"

"—Is not a threat," Luke finished. His eyes shifted towards the casket, "Agrius, stay here. We have important matters to discuss."

"But—"

"Oreius, don't fail me. Stay in hold to make sure the drakon is properly fed."

Oreius pushed his spear into Annabeth's back while he led them from the room. In a desperate last attempt, Ariadne spun around and took a step towards him. "Luke! Please, you don't have to do this! Thalia wouldn't have wanted this! We're a family, Luke! I want my somewhat-brother back, you promised we were a family!"

"Thalia's dead. Dead people don't want anything."

She lashed out. "You lied to me! You promised you wouldn't leave like she did! I can't believe I ever trusted you! No matter what you say, Luke, I will never forgive you. My loyalty is gone. I hope you rot in Tartarus."

Tears fell down her cheeks as she was pushed out, the last glance thrown over her shoulder and she caught the tears in Luke's eyes. He held her ring in his palm before pocketing it once more, taking shaky breaths.

Ariadne lost all hope for him and herself, deciding that the Luke she knew was gone. So was her loyalty, so was her trust, and so was her love for him.

Oreius kept a close eye on her after she had yelled at Luke. She couldn't help him. Her heart stung and broke because she oc Indy save him from becoming someone she couldn't recognize.

Luke Castellan was her somewhat-brother. He gave her hope and let her laugh and cry about anything with him. The boy would give her piggyback rides and let her train him although he was much older than her. Luke would plan picnics and make her birthday extra special, or steal some food from the kitchens just for them to eat in a tree, or look out for her and Annabeth during capture the flag. The Luke she knew wouldn't be angry at her beating him.

That Luke was dead.

Her friends were quiet while they walked down the hallways and onto an open deck which was lined with lifeboats.

Their last does of sunlight would be terrible. Trusting to desperately think of something to give her happiness, or a god to pray too and if her family would miss her.

Percy has said something to Tyson, but she didn't hear. The Cyclops smacked Oreius backwards and into a pool while a family was swimming. The zombie kids yelled out, "Ah! We are not having a blast in the pool!"

One of the security guards raised their nightstick, but Ariadne kicked it from his hand before Annabeth knocked him unconscious. The other ran towards the alarm box nearest to them. "Stop him!" Annabeth yelled at Percy.

He was to slow and before he could bash the head of the guard with a deck chair, the alarm was hit.

Sirens ring through the air. "Lifeboat!" Percy shouted towards them.

Percy took hold of Ariadne's hand before they took off running. They tried to take off the cover quickly, but by the time they did, security guards and monsters were shoving aside passengers and other crew members.

"How do you launch this thing?" Annabeth complainer.

A Hellhound leapt at the son of Poseidon but Tyson smacked him away with a fire extinguisher.

"Get in!" Percy yelled before uncapping Riptide. He blocked at the arrows which sailed towards them.

Her eyes looked down and saw the golden band on her finger before hearing a growl. Another Hellhound has appeared. She twisted Lunacy into her hand before stabbing through its eye quickly.

"Aidan!" Percy cried for her, already in the raft with Annabeth and Tyson. She jumped into the raft before quickly sitting up, helping Percy wipe through the ropes.

Ariadne got a last glimpse of where they came from, where Luke was. But she shook her head and left him there.

Arrows whistles in the wind as they flew over their heads while they fell towards the ocean in a life raft.

While they fell, she left herself there. She left all her hopes and memories of Luke. All the good times and feelings, all the love. Because if she had held onto them, she would've never left. If her mind didn't leave everything of the boy on the ship she wouldn't have left him either, and Olympus would have fallen to its knees.