Tidal Wave (Luke Castellan)

The Shack

 "So you wanted to be a normal teenager for a while?" I asked as we made our way towards the safe house Luke had talked about. I may have lied to Sally and told her I was staying with Diana for the night. I felt really guilty about it but for some reason I had a feeling that staying with Luke was safer than staying with Diana. At least it was the better option right now.

"Yeah, I figured I'd give it a try. I haven't really had the chance to since I came to camp so young. And even before that I couldn't really either. This might be my last chance before I start doing things for Kronos full time."

I hated how casually he said that, "And you're still sure that's what you want?"

"Yes, it's the change that Olympus needs. But let's not talk about that tonight. Why were you at the party tonight? I know that Diana was there but I doubt you'd leave camp just to come here for that."

"I came here to go to high school too. After what happened between us, I couldn't stay at camp anymore. I needed a change."

"Who do you stay with?" when I raised an eyebrow, he raised his hands in defense, "I'm just curious. I'll stay away even if Kronos tells me not to."

"Something tells me you have an idea who it is."

"I have an idea. But like I said, I'm staying away. I promise."

"You've been making me a lot of promises lately," I noted.

"Because I want you to know that I'm serious. I'm not just saying these things just to sound good. I mean what I say."

"I've been staying with Percy and his mom. We were able to get her back after returning Hades his helm."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that she's okay," we were quiet for a few moments before he nudged me with his shoulder, "So, is there anything about high school that I should know? Any tips or tricks to surviving?"

I laughed, "It's not a quest Luke. High school is not something to be scared of."

"I don't know about that. I heard stories back at camp and I'm pretty sure I should be worried."

"It's really not that bad. It's like being at camp but you're stuck inside with boring classes. And no power usage which sucks. But other than that, it's relatively the same. You'll fit in just fine."

"How do you know that?"

"A good-looking athletic guy who's also really nice? Yeah, you'll be placed on top of the social hierarchy immediately."

Luke stopped walking. His brown eyes glowed brighter and a teasing smile crossed his face. I gulped, knowing exactly what he had picked up on, "So you think I'm good-looking?"

I reached out and shoved him, "Oh shut up."

"You're the one who said it, not me. So do you really think I am?"

"I said shut up."

"You know, not answering the question is really answering the question."

"Not really because you're not getting clear confirmation."

"Then confirm it to me," His brown eyes captured mine and I couldn't look away, "Look me in the eyes and tell me what you think about me."

My heart jumped to my throat. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak. I was frozen and he knew that. His lips jerked upwards into a smirk. He took a step closer to me. His eyes studied my face before dropping down to my lips and back up to my eyes. My breathing nearly stopped.

"Tell me Cass," Luke almost whispered, "Come on Little Mermaid, say it."

"I..." I couldn't say anything. Then I noticed the position we were in. We were standing so close that we were almost touching. The last time we were like this was when he stabbed me. I knew he promised that he wasn't going to hurt me but I couldn't help the fear crawling through my chest. My breathing started to pick up.