I guess you really did it this time
Left yourself in your warpath
Mortal legs, dressed in grey pants. A white t shirt, hands folded over his stomach. One piece of his chest was missed—a clean black hole about the size of a bullet wound, right where his heart should've been. His eyes were closed. His skin was pale. Blonde hair….and a scar running along the left side of his face.
The body in the coffin was Luke's.
Lost your balance on a tightrope
Lost your mind tryin' to get it back
We rushed to the cliff's edge. Below us, the army from the Princess Andromeda had stopped in amazement. They were staring at Luke's broken form on the rocks. Despite how much I hated him, I couldn't stand to see it. I wanted to believe he was still alive, but that was impossible. The fall was fifty feet at least, and he wasn't moving.
Wasn't it easier in your lunchbox days?
Always a bigger bed to crawl into
"He was so young when he left," she said wistfully…. "He said he'd be back for lunch. And I waited. He likes peanut butter sandwiches and Kool-Aid. He'll be back for lunch very soon…."
Wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything
And everybody believed in you?
Luke put his hand on her shoulder. "You're part of our family now. And I promise I won't let anything hurt you. I'm not going to fail you like our families did us.
It's alright, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
"I can't believe that Luke…" Annabeth's voice faltered. Her expression turned angry and sad.
Oh, who you are is not where you've been.
You're still an innocent,
You're still an innocent.
Hermes gazed up at the stars. "My dear cousin, if there's one thing I've learned over the eons, it's that you can't give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it.
Did some things you can't speak of
But at night you live it all again
I was used to hearing from the girls how good-looking Luke was, but at the moment, he looked weary, angry, and not at all handsome. His blonde hair was grey in the sunlight. The scar on his face looked deeper than usual. I could imagine him as an old man.
You wouldn't be shattered on the floor now
If only you would seen what you know now then
He gripped my sleeve, and I could feel the heat of his skin like a fire. "Ethan. Me. All the unclaimed. Don't let it…..Don't let it happen again."
Wasn't it easier in your firefly-catchin' days?
When everything out of reach, someone bigger brought down to you
Then I noticed the framed picture on the mantel, and I froze. It was exactly like Rachel's sketch—Luke around nine years old, with blonde hair and a big smile and two missing front teeth. The lack of a scar on his face made him look like a different person—carefree and happy.
Wasn't it beautiful runnin' wild 'til you fell asleep
Before the monsters caught up to you?
"A half-blood hideout." I looked at Annabeth in awe. "You made this place?"
"Thalia and I," she said quietly. "And Luke."
It's alright, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
Who you are is not where you've been
You're still an innocent
It's okay, life is a tough crowd
32 and still growing up now
Who you are is not what you did
You're still an innocent
Time turns flames to embers
You'll have new Septembers
Every one of us has messed up too
"Hubris isn't your fatal flaw."
"What is?"
"I don't know, Percy, but every hero has one. If you don't find it and learn to control it…well, they don't call it 'fatal' for nothing.
Lives change like the weather
I hope you remember
Today is never too late to be brand new
The line from the great prophecy echoed in my head: A hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. My whole world tipped upside down, and I gave the knife to Luke.
It's alright, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
"You want him to be evil, is that it?" Annabeth yelled. "You didn't know him before, Percy. I did!"
"What is it with you?" I snapped. "Why do you keep defending him?
Oh, who you are is not where you've been
You're still an innocent.
It's okay, life is a tough crowd
22, and still growin' up now
Kronos loomed over Annabeth, his sword raised.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She croaked, "Family, Luke. You promised."
Who you are is not what you did
You're still an innocent.
You're still an innocent.
He stared at the knife in Annabeth's hand, the blood on her face. "Promise."
Then he gasped like he couldn't get enough air. "Annabeth…"
But it wasn't the Titan's voice. It was Luke's.
Lost your balance on a tightrope.
It's never too late to get it back.
The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. The hero was Luke. The cursed blade was the knife he'd given Annabeth long ago—cursed because Luke had broken his promise and betrayed his friends. By sacrificing himself, he had saved Olympus. In the end, I wasn't really the hero.
Luke was.