A/N: Hey guys! I got this idea after reading 'The Last Olympian' where Percy says, 'I thought back to when I was in the River Styx, and I couldn't help but think that Luke had seen Annabeth in the River Styx as well'. Well, not in those exact words, but oh well, the basis is about right!
Anyways, this is what Luke saw as he became invulnerable, with a bit of my own twist. I hope you like it! :3
This will be the only Authors Note so...
Review, favourite and... Enjoy the virtual cookies I give out to all my readers! :D (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) enjoy, they're fresh out'ta oven.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. One: I am a teenaged girl from Northern England and Two: Please refer back to point numeros uno! :3
What Luke Saw…
Luke was shaking, not very tough or heroic in the least, really, at all.
But, then again, nothing Luke was about to do would ever be classed as heroic, it was selfish. It wasn't even his idea, for the gods' sakes! It was Kronos and the Titans pushing him forward, and, no matter he did, they dominated him; the Titans doing as such physically, whereas Kronos did so mentally.
Now, child! Kronos' voice commanded. You have gotten permission from your mother, thus nothing should go wrong!
Luke took a shaky breath, and then hissed in pain, forcing back tears. He could feel Kronos growing more powerful within himself; the power burned his insides, as if being a slow, agonising process in which would surely tear him apart!
"Ho-how much longer until the same will happen to the outside?" Luke murmured, breathing heavily, his voice-his own voice, not Kronos'-hoarse from lack of use. He wasn't even really asking anyone in particular, he just wanted to talk as himself, because he wouldn't be able to do that for much longer, that much he knew, otherwise, he was in the dark for pretty much all the details that were important in Kronos' plan.
Oh, I'd say about… a week? A month? Maybe a year, if you're lucky. But that time would just be filled with as much pain as you are in now… Slowly doubling until your body's fibres would simply… tear, like fabric. But, I mean, I am the Lord of Time, I might take pity and make it only an hour, or a minute.
Luke wouldn't lie, he was tempted to take that last sentence as an offer and plead for it, but Kronos continued.
But, how would you then show your strength to your father? How would you make him pay for neglecting you all those years? Sure, he gave you that one-off quest… Or was it more… What is it young Mortal youths say now-a-days? Ah, that's it, throwing you bone, am I correct?
Luke only had the strength to nod weakly.
Good. Now, you were chosen to be my host because you were everything needed to host me-determined, excellent fighter, angered, seeking redemption. You were… Perfect. So to speak.
"You-yo… You have t-told me th-that be-b-before, a-at the begining Lo-Lord Kronos" Luke stammered. He was becoming dizzy from the communication. If Kronos ever communicated with him, it was a simple command; this was giving him something a trillion times worse than any migraine possible, and he felt like he could collapse from being as light-headed as he was, but he managed to stand his ground.
Why, that is correct, young should take that that as a compliment and honour, you were chosen because you were worthy and perfect enough to host the most powerful Titan ever. But… Alas, it appears you are losing those qualities; you're becoming weaker and weaker every second and how can my host only used to have shown the qualities needed to host me?
"He can't" Luke managed. Sweat was slowly trickling down his face in rows.
Exactly, now, we both know that those qualities are still there, and that you want-and can-use them, so do it! Show your father, your mother, every god and goddess-Greek, Roman, Egyptian, who cares! Show every camper, every Half-Blood. And definitely show that spawn of Athena, Annabeth, is it? Show her why she shouldn't have turned you down during the summer. Show. Them. All!
Luke took this in, "You-you're right, Lord Kronos… I agree, that is wh-what I want!" he exclaimed, and the pain slowly subsided, the look of agony slowly became a look of power partnered with a smirk. He stood up straight, stretched slightly
That's right, young Luke; I can sense your potential building once again! Show every camper, every Half-Blood. And definitely show that spawn of Athena, Annabeth, is it? Show her why she shouldn't have turned your offer down during the summer. Show. Them. All!
Luke cracked his knuckles, his smirk becoming a grin. He eyed the River Styx and, in a spur-of-the-moment shot of adrenaline and power, said "let's do it".
With that he slowly waded into the river, took one last deep breath and went under.
Biggest regret he will ever have.
As soon as he was under the water fully, all the air within him felt as if it had been sucked out, he felt winded.
He tried reaching the surface, but something was holding him back-pulling him back, actually. He twisted and turned frantically, hoping to break free before he drowned, but whatever was holding him back had a heck of a grip on it.
At one point, he was desperate enough to try and beg Kronos for help, but he got no answer. It appeared that Kronos was blocked out from the process. This was all on his shoulders, this was his responsibility… This was his, Lu… Now, what was it again? What was his name again?
He was losing his memories, he felt like he was dissolving, and his memories were the first go fully.
Then he looked down at himself and saw that he was in fact dissolving! And it wasn't even a slow procedure; he could no longer see anything beyond his mid-thigh!
He was hopeless; he was a dead man, he was…
… Hearing laughter?
It was a girls', a teenaged girls', to be exact.
He looked up immediately. He wanted to gasp at the face he saw.
Her skin was on the pale side, with a collection of freckles scattered across her small nose. Her black, spikey hair dangled as she looked on him, but couldn't hide those startling impossibly electric blue eyes. He saw that she wore a black and silver winter jacket and her favourite 'Green Day: American Idiot' tee-shirt, along with simple faded jeans. He noticed a bracelet on her left wrist, although it didn't look like much, if truth be told. Overall, she looked about fourteen.
The girls name was… Was… Thalia! That was her name! By remembering that simple fact, it began a string of memories to return to him, but only partly. Like there was another half to the memories he had with her.
Thalia laughed at him, he wondered what she had seen him do. "Ha-ha, only you, Luke! Only you could fall into the bay even though you were nowhere near the edge!" she laughed some more and bent over edge of a stone path and lowered her arm in his direction. "Take my hand, you dumb blonde" she said, smiling. He tried, but his hand went straight through hers, she must have felt and seen something else happen though, because she then spoke out, apologetically. "Oh, sorry, Luke, I can't reach you. Hold on for one sec" She stood up and dusted herself off and called out a name that triggered another string of memories to return to him.
"Hey, Annabeth! Can you come and help me get Luke out of the bay?" she called out, and the scene got clearer. They were in a bay… They were in Chesapeake Bay! Behind Thalia was a wall and on a particular part there was lots of weeds and moss covering it, they were moved aside and a much smaller figure skipped out of the hole in the wall that the moss and weeds seemed to cover, giggling slightly.
"Sure, Thals!" she smiled at Thalia and then she beamed down at Luke, letting him see her fully, with her big grey eyes that were still filled with a spark of innocence (it pained him just as must as feeling Kronos' power almost tear him apart from the inside to remember that the innocence in those eyes wouldn't last for much longer) and her bright blonde princess-like curls, he could see her tan from growing up in Virginia and her silly 'Loony Tunes' tee-shirt, a similar winter jacket to Thalia, battered and faded jeans .
Annabeth looked over the situation Luke was in, which had to have some kind of comical aspect to it from their point of view, because she too soon decided to laugh at what she saw. "How the Hades did you managed to do that, Luke?" She sounded about seven years old, yet she sounded much… Wiser than your average seven year old. She sighed and looked around her, her eyes taking on a look of calculating and intelligence. "Okay!" She bent over the edge of the stone path, Thalia immediately grabbing her waist, for Annabeths safety, Annabeth grabbed a piece of seaweed on the side of the side and loosened it a bit. "Take hold of this, okay, Luke?"
To his surprise, Luke saw a piece of seaweed dangling within arms-reach of him. He eagerly grabbed it, managing to pull himself forward by quite a distance, but he couldn't pull himself up, he looked down and saw that he was still dissolving, but much at a slower rate now. He looked and saw that he was much closer to Thalia and Annabeth now.
"There we go!" They said in unison and smiled at him. They reached down, over the edge of the path, their arms stretched and hands opened wide, "take our hands, Luke". He didn't even have to think about it, he grabbed their hands and felt every single memory he had return to him, along with the feeling of being a solid being.
He was Luke Castellan. Above him were the two most important people he knew, Thalia Grace and Annabeth Chase. He remembered what to do now; he focused on a specific part of his body. The underside of my elbow, he thought, and felt a strong tug on the underside of his elbow.
His lifeline.
Actually, no. They were his lifeline. Annabeth and Thalia. They were the only things keeping him alive right now.
And with that, they managed to lift him out of the water, grinning down at him, until he surfaced and saw that no-one was there. No-one except a few of Kronos' minions to stand guard.
It was then he realised it must have only been an old memory playing itself out to save his life…
It wasn't real.
When he thought about it, he recalled (and the pain that he had felt before came back) Annabeth no longer had that spark of childhood innocence in her eyes. Thalia no longer cared for him.
If that had been real and now-a-days… Would they have just left him?
No time to think of such simple things, boy! We must move onwards.
Moving on… That might just take his mind off of everything he had just seen and what he was just thinking about. "Yes, sir!" Luke exclaimed. He walked over to the minions and commanded them to move onwards…
… And as they did so, Luke silently cherished each second he had as himself, because he knew it wouldn't take Kronos much longer to take full control over his body. He also, subconsciously, cherished the last memory he would have as himself in the River Styx of Thalia and Annabeth, because the next memories he would have of them would be as Kronos…
... And those are memories he, as himself, doesn't want to make nor see. Ever.
