Title Past the Point of No Return
Warnings Mild language and serious anger management issues.
Summary He doesn't want to do this. He doesn't want to share a body with the Titan Lord, but he's past the point of no return. Nothing but this can save him now.
Notes Luke's dip in the River Styx… I don't think anymore can be said here.
*~O~*
Luke stood before the polluted river that would grant him invulnerability. As much as he hated to admit this, but he was terrified. Then again anyone else in his position would be considered crazy if they were perfectly fine with the way thing were unfolding. Luke didn't want to share his body with Kronos, and much less did he want to take a dip in the River Styx.
"It is a great honor to serve me this way."
Luke cringed every time he heard those words in his mind.
'I may hate the gods, but he isn't turning out to be any better,' he thought sarcastically, 'I wish Annabeth would have helped me…'
Luke blinked in surprise at his thoughts. It wasn't that he was in love with her; she was half his age, but he did care for her. She was pretty much his baby sister that he had to protect, no matter how old she got…
Remembering the past was getting harder now, but looking to the future was pure torture. Not that Luke would admit it, but he had it good at camp… Yes, he was angry about Thalia, and about how his father had pretty much abandoned him and his mother. However, at least he could have trusted people at camp, and he had his brothers and sisters.
"You should turn back hero," Achilles said from behind him.
"Would if I could get away with it," Luke muttered in response.
There was a sigh, "Then you need to choose your mortal spot, and focus on it when you go in. Don't lose sight of it, or you will dissolve into the river."
"Right…" Luke stayed silent and still for a few moments, when he glanced behind he didn't see anyone. "Should probably hurry this along… I doubt I'm very safe down here."
Muttering long strings of cuss words, and wishing that someone else had to do this instead of him, Luke moved closer to the river's edge. Kronos was a scary fucker as it was, but now he had to share his body with him… Yeah, this was going to just be buckets of fun.
Standing on the river's edge was not pleasant. He could see everything that people had thrown in when death had claimed them. The hopes and dreams that mortals gave up upon arrival in death's domain.
"Mortal spot, mortal spot…" Luke chanted to himself, "Need to focus…"
"No, no, I've long since past the point of no return…"
Luke visibly cringed remembering that phrase when Annabeth refused to fight him. She wanted to take him back to camp, or, gods forbid, Olympus. His choices made him an outsider, and he would not be able to go back now.
Focusing with all of his might he threw himself into the polluted river.
*~O~*
Pain. Burning. Twisting agony. No escape. He wouldn't survive this.
His lungs burned for oxygen, but it was nothing compared to the agony of the river burning through him like acid. Luke began to consider giving in to the river… It would have been the easy coward's way out.
Pride. Anger. Love. Dare he go there? Hope.
The four feelings filled him to the brim.
He had too much pride to let a damned river be the death of him. He would rather admit to being a stuck-up asshole before he let a river burn his body away.
The anger he held for his father, the gods, Annabeth, Percy, Thalia and even Grover and Chiron. He might not hate them, but he was pissed off. He felt betrayed by them. Luke was even angry for and at his mother. He loved her, he really did, but she might as well have been killed… and yeah, he loved them all as well.
Thalia, Annabeth and dare he say it, Grover, were pretty much his younger, surrogate siblings. He loved his mother, and he wished he could have known her before she was driven insane. Chiron had taught him what living on the streets couldn't have, so the old horse was like a second? First? Father.
Percy… He didn't know how he felt exactly about the dim-witted son of Poseidon. Only one thing Luke knew for sure… He could NOT get the younger male's face out of his head. No matter how much he wanted to hate the demigod, he couldn't bring himself to. Shit, he could barely live with the fact that he hurt him before.
Luke might even go so far as to say that he might even l-
No.
'If you let yourself hope… there may be no telling what you could open yourself up to.'
The phrase, the voice that spoke it, rang through his mind. Clearing it and helping him focus.
He tied his hopes, dreams, fears, pain, anger and love to that part of his body… Luke tied his humanity to his one weak spot on his entire body.
The pain faded, and he really needed to breathe again…
*~O~*
Luke lay shaking and exhausted on the riverbank. He would need to get moving soon, but it would be crazy for him to try and run now. He avoided looking at his skin which was pinkish-red and slightly raw looking.
Lying there regaining the necessary energy to find a way out wasn't so bad… until his thoughts wandered towards the voice he heard in his head.
It was ridiculous really… Besides, his father abandoned him and his mother. Why the fuck would the douche lend a helping hand now? Of all times?
'Just imagining things…' Luke tried to convince himself, "It wasn't him… I was just delirious…"
Ignoring the pain, and forcing his emotions back under tight control, Luke pushed himself to his feet. He found his way out, and dutifully went back to Kronos. He didn't have anywhere else to go after all.
He burnt his bridges long ago… and now he was past the point of no return.
End Notes *raises eyebrow* I wasn't aiming for this… but this what I get? Yay, more angst/bitter hope… Sorry.
*shrug* Review please?
I might even do requests, but I DO NOT do Percabeth… So, yeah, I'll do something if you ask, and I think I can pull off… Right, please review!
