During the Titan's Curse, something in Luke begins to change. Coming to the aid of Artemis, his loyalties waver. But, as he sacrifices himself to destroy Kronos as his final act as a true hero, Chaos decides to spare his life. He must prove himself to the gods again, as a guardian to the of the hunt.
Luke didn't know how it began. Under orders from Kronos he'd arrived at Mount Othyrs to free Atlas, and created a plan to trap his former friends. It was quite simple, really. After taking the burden of the sky from the titan and struggling under its weight for a few days, he got word that Kronos' forces had captured Annabeth.
Once they brought her to him, getting her her to take the sky from him was easy. Seeing Annabeth's face as she watched him struggle and the way she willingly ran over to help made Luke's throat tighten. He cared for her, and didn't want to see her hurt. After all, she was the younger sister he'd always wanted. But this was necessary. Soon, she would understand and join him.
At least, he told himself that as he left her under the crushing burden of the sky.
She didn't have to bear its weight for long. Atlas soon returned, a triumphant smirk on his face.
"It was almost too easy to trick her," he boasted, despite the deep gashes all along his body.
Artemis, wrapped tightly in chains, spat at his face. The titan's eyes lit up with fury, and he raised his hand as if to strike her before Luke's voice stopped him.
He knelt next to Annabeth. "She's fading! We must hurry."
Atlas shoved Artemis forward. "You heard the boy," he commanded. "Decide!"
The goddess's eyes flashed in anger, but then she saw Annabeth. Luke watched the rage play across her features as she took in the girl's pale face and greying hair. He knew what she would do. She turned to him calmly and said, "Free my hands." In one smooth motion, she was free, and then staggering under the darkness above her.
Annabeth collapsed next to Artemis, and Luke pointed as some demigods to take her away. Atlas clumped after them, his footsteps shaking the ground as he left. Luke frowned, surveying Mount Othyrs. He had time now, to prepare to defeat Percy Jackson and his oblivious friends when they arrived. They didn't understand that they were being used by their parents as pawns. But, at least with fighting with Kronos, Luke had power and respect. That was all he really wanted, to be heard.
For some reason, his eyes were drawn back to Artemis. Though she had been glaring at her captors before, now her shoulders slumped forward as she braced herself against the ground.
She was an enigma to him. She was one of the few goddesses who had no demigod children to abandon and forget like his father had. And, she even took in the children of her godly parents and siblings as part of her hunt. Luke felt a momentary flash of sadness. Out of all the gods and goddesses, he realized that he respected her the most. But, there was no room for respect in this war. Kronos had told him- all the Olympians had to fall.
Still, he studied her for a few more minutes before walking away.
The next week past slowly for Luke. He drew battle plans during the day, dueled and defeated some of the monsters guarding the mountain, though he resisted stabbing them with Backbiter since they were on his side.
He tried talking to Annabeth, but she refused to move or even look at him. A part of him wondered if she had taken the burden for too long, but he knew from their journeys together as kids that she was tough. She would be fine.
But, alarmingly between his talks with Atlas and training of other members of Kronos' army, Luke found his thoughts drifting towards Artemis. It was harmless at first. It occurred to him she'd been under the sky for longer than him and Annabeth put together. Then, he started noticing the way her arms would shake, sometimes. Her auburn hair that used to have a silvery shine was tangled and dull. Some nights, before he went to sleep, he thought he glimpsed tears trickle down her face as she searched for the nonexistent moon in the sky.
As the days went on, he began to worry. Of course, he knew he shouldn't be. But, one night after staring at plans of Camp Halfblood in vain to find a way in, he heard a soft cry. He stood with a start, and went outside to check on his soldiers. But as he followed the sound, it led up the mountain.
He stopped at the top, his eyes seeking out the hunched form of the goddess. Artemis was on her hand and knees, but as he watched her whole body shook and collapsed.
"No!" he yelled, though the sound was lost in the wind. Before he knew what he was doing the sky fell on his back and Artemis passed out on the ground.
Luke frowned, mentally slapping himself. He swallowed as he watched Artemis' form next to him. Struggling, he reached over to check her pulse. What did you do that for, you idiot? Of course she's alive, she's immortal. And now you're back under the sky. But as he touched her cool skin, her eyes snapped open. She struggled to sit up or even move her arm, but couldn't find the strength. Finally she relaxed, resigned to the face that her body was too weak to move. But her eyes never left his face.
"What- what are you doing?" she asked hoarsely.
He frowned. "I don't know."
"How long-" Artemis didn't finish her sentence, but Luke understood.
"Only for the night. I can help you until dawn."
She nodded her head slightly before drifting into unconsciousness.
It became a routine. Every night or so, whenever he could sneak away without suspicion, Luke came. He would take the sky, and Artemis would sleep. She no longer looked like she was about to pass out and be crushed, yet she knew that she was not strong enough to fight even him, let alone the whole army assembled at the mountain. There was no point in trying to escape. So the leader of Kronos' forces took her burden, and she watched him, thinking.
"Why?" She asked him one night, but he turned away from her. To answer would be to admit of his disloyalty, to admit that maybe Kronos wasn't right about everything. So he didn't. And it was over soon enough. Percy Jackson came with his friends, and that huntress Zoe Nightshade fought her father Atlas, and the battle began to go wrong. Luke felt the shift in balance as he fought Thalia. She disarmed him, and reflexively kicked him off the cliff.
He fell, down, down, and the blinding pain was the last thing he remembered.
