They don't remember, but he does. And it haunts him every moment. The Punishment of Luke.

Okie do. I had this idea randomly. Actually, I was drinking some hot cocoa and burned my tongue. This caused me to think about what punishments the gods might give Luke if he survived, I know, my thoughts are pretty unconnected. Then I thought about rather then physical pain, about mental toture (evil I know) and came up with this: The god remove the other half bloods' memories as a gift- so they don't have to relive old battles. They give Luke a chance to be forgiven, but he had to live with the guilt. So, I give you these questions to ponder: Does he crack under the pressure? If he does, do they believe him? Accept him? Will she still love him?

Luke must really hate me for this.

Oh well.

Oh, drinking, language and romance. Rated T. Pairings: Percabeth, Lukalia, mentions of Beckalina and Charisse.

A New Year and Much To Think About

Luke stroked her face gently and she smiled up at him. He smiled back slowly, glad to at least have a chance to be with her. A new year was about to begin and he wouldn't have wanted to share it with anyone but her. The party's atmosphere was that of a cocktail party, but there was more socializing, multicolored lights and better music. That and Nico was completely sloshed. (1) Percy and Annabeth twirled around the dance floor, looking as happy as he had ever seen them. Silena and Beckendorf also danced slowly, Travis and Conner Stoll spiking the punch with more vodka as Pollux Cramer took a big gulp. Chris and Clarisse arguing over which song to play next, and other halfbloods enjoying themselves. They were all waiting for the ball to drop, waiting for a chance to start on their resolutions. A perfect night. And all a lie. If anyone else had been watching, it would have been Nick Angels flirting with a cactus after too much alcohol consumption. Beth Follow dancing with Peter Johnson, while Sirena Beaumont and Charlie Beck did the same close by. Trey and Colin Took dumping in unneeded vodka into the already drunk- level booze and Paul Carson drinking more then allowed. Ken and Clara disagreeing about the music, and other people dancing about, waiting for the ball to drop, waiting for a chance to... bullshit. He tried to push those thoughts away and focus on the fact that he was free, and at least ninety percent happy. He had her didn't he? He wasn't in danger anymore wasn't he? His punishment could be worse, couldn't it? But the they refused to leave. How can you do this to her Luke? She doesn't know what you've done. How could you be so selfish? Sally Jackson mourns her lost son, and there he is. Are you really that much of a coward? Are you really that afraid? He gritted his teeth, annoyed with himself for ruining the evening. He looked down at his fiancee and whispered her name. She turned to him and looked at him with a black eyebrow raised.

"Are you drunk?" she said, slightly slurred, and he knew she was. He cursed himself for the slip and replied gently,

"Not as drunk as you are, love." she smiled and placed a clumsy kiss on his cheek. He sighed and led her to the dance floor, determined to at least enjoy the last few minutes of the old year. And he did. She always managed to make him forget the bad things. As he swirled her around he sent a silent prayer to her father, thanking him for his permission to love her. Not that it would make a difference if he didn't, but it certainly made life easier. She stumbled a bit but he righted her, his arms around her which made him happy. Thalia Peterson, he decided, was the most beautiful girl in the world, even when she was sad, angry or too drunk to function. When at last someone screamed 'it's the count down!' he smiled down at her. The crowd cheered and as one began to count.

"10...9...8...7...6...5..4..3..2....1!"

He grinned at her and twirled her around, grabbing her waist and pulling her to him. The kiss was long as slow and made his heart sigh. Maybe that was a bit poetic, but he didn't really care. All he knew was that this year, he would marry her. They broke away, still in their embrace. As the eyes met she spoke the words that made his heart break:

"I love you, Lucien." Lucien. Lucien. Lucien. She is Lucien's, not Luke's. And though they may be the same, to him there was a world of difference. He forced himself to reply:

"I love you too, Tanya." Mentally, he replaced the pseudonym for the real thing. But it wasn't the same. Another year had passed with his secret safe. But secrets were dangerous business.

Um... yeah. REALLY short. This is just the prolouge of sorts... hope you guys liked! Oh, I also hope you understand it, if you have any questions, please ask me. And the over smooshiness? Contrasts with the rest of the story, don't worry.

(1) Sloshed is a word for drunk right?