Luke walked with Raven and his cabin mates back to

cabin eleven. Percy walked in the very back. Luke knew in the morning Percy would be moved to Cabin 3. For some reason that made him relieved. He always had the feeling he wasn't supposed to like Percy, but he did. The kid was cool and funny. He was still getting those dreams telling him to turn his back on the gods and Camp Half Blood, but he refused to listen to them. He had Raven to thank for that. She was one of the only things anchoring him down.

Raven was so different than the other demigods he'd met. She was twelve but she was so mature and smart. She said it was because of the deal she had with Apollo, but he never believed she'd really meet the prophecy god. He believed there was something else going on. Either way whatever it was she acted older than she was. Sometimes Luke had to remind himself she was twelve.

Luke held the door while the rest of the Hermes cabin filed in. Raven stood beside him eying him. When everyone had gone in Raven caught his arm. Her piercing blue eyes gazing into his own. She whispered harshly through the cold air, "We need to talk."

Luke and Raven snuck off quietly. Raven's face was hard. It made her look so much older. The moonlight bounced off her silver circlet which Luke could easily read as 'bringer of hope'. Raven finally stopped at the end of the woods. She turned to face Luke.

"Did you summon that hellhound in the woods?" She asked deadly serious.

Luke blinked surprised, "No! No why would I do that?"

Raven narrowed her eyes as if that were hard to believe. Then Luke came to the icy realization that he was supposed to do that. He knew what his fate was supposed to be. He was supposed to join Kronus, hurt the people who cared for him most and die. To be honest he might have done it. It wasn't a crazy thought to him. But he had stopped. Not because he didn't want to die, but because he didn't want to hurt Annabeth. Raven made him realize that.

Raven was making sure he hadn't fallen off the wagon.

"That means someone else did..." Raven muttered angrily.

"Who?" Luke asked, curiously. Raven gave him a withering look before turning her head and for the first time, Luke realized she didn't know.

"Are you still having those dreams?" she asked changing the subject.

Luke nodded, "But their getting weaker. Like he's given up."

"Good, that's because he's found someone else. He doesn't need you." Raven said nodding. "You mustn't fall into his grip Luke. No matter how much you hate the gods or how hurt you feel. You must resist."

Luke's body tensed. He had changed his destiny and Raven still didn't seem to trust him. That wouldn't have bothered him if it were anyone else. "Why such little faith?" He muttered.

"It's not that I don't trust you," Raven said, her face softening, "But the titan lord is a powerful force... I- Annabeth can't lose you..."

Raven paused and for the first time something dawned on Luke.

"Annabeth or you?" He asked.

"Luke..." Raven started but she trailed off. Luke had known Annabeth for so long. He knew she liked him but he had always just seen her as a little sister. She was so young, wise but still immature. When he was with Raven, he could feel how mature she was. How much older she was inside. When she was around he started to feel things he hadn't felt since...well Thalia.

Luke bent down and kissed Raven on the cheek. Raven's cheeks inflamed and before he knew it she had grabbed his neck and pecked him lightly on the lips. Before pulling away embarrassed.

"I think I might like you." Raven said after a long moment of silence.

Luke paused for a moment. He looked at Raven in the low might. Her eyes shined, worriedly.

"We can't...I'm...You're- you're twelve..."He said twelve the way someone might say 'contagious'

"Technically I'm fifteen..." She muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Luke looked at Raven and frowned. He couldn't hurt her. So this couldn't happen. End of story. He sighed and Raven hugged herself. They sat outside like that for a long while without talking. The wind blowing through their hair.

"If it's any consolation..." Luke said, "I think I might like you too."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" She laughed, "This wasn't supposed to happen...I was supposed to save everyone that was it. This wasn't part of the plan."

"What plan?"

"To make everyone happy. I saved you to make Annabeth happy. Not so I could get googly eyed and side tracked." She turned away and started back to the Hermes cabin.

"And what about you Raven?" Luke called after her.

"I don't matter." She shot back, "I'm not the hero."

Luke watched her dash off into the woods. As soon as she left he cursed and kicked a tree. Unfortunately that didn't help him much. He sat down on the ground and pouted. Raven was right. Things weren't supposed to be like this. He ran a hand through his sandy blond hair. He waited a long while in hopes that when he returned Raven would be asleep but somehow he doubted that either of them would be doing much sleeping that night.

When Luke returned to the Cabin Raven had fallen asleep. She looked like she had been crying which made the twisting feeling in his chest that much worse. He kissed her on the forehead and slumped back into his bunk. He tried to sleep but his mind buzzed with activity but eventually his body demanded sleep and he shut his eyes.

That night the dreams were worse. He was back in that mansion; He had let Thalia follow that stupid goat. He had known it was a trap, but he couldn't say no to Thalia. He had never had the power to say no to Thalia Grace.

Thalia walked up the steps and looked around, but when she looked back at Luke she crumbled into a pile of dead leaves. He saw Hal, the son of Apollo who had sacrificed himself for him and Thalia to escape. He tried to call out for him to run but it was too late. The Greek fire exploded and the scene shifted. He was in a dark room. He was all alone. He heard Annabeth screaming somewhere, and Raven calling for him in the other direction. He felt a cold hand caress his cheek and disappear. A voice hissed in the dark, "The gods curse you, Luke...they took Thalia...they never helped you...they'll take Annabeth and Raven too..."

"No...!" Luke screamed trying to cover his ears, "I can protect them! I'll protect them all!"

The voice chuckled in the dark, somehow it didn't sound human. "Them all you say?"

Suddenly he saw Annabeth being cornered by a Cyclops to his right screaming, just like in the mansion on the way to Camp half blood. He ran to help her but to his left he heard Raven calling his name. He saw her surrounded by hell hounds and the furies, like Thalia had been on her last night, sacrificing herself to save him and Annabeth.

"You can't save them all Luke," The voice said, "Only if you join me."

"No!" Luke shouted desperately, "Stop it!"

He shut his eyes tightly and covered his ears shrinking to his knees listening to his friends scream and beg for his help on either side. He was only released when he felt soft hands on his shoulders and a girl's voice whispered in his ear, "Wake up."

Luke bolted upright. He was safe in the Hermes cabin. Everyone was still asleep, he looked over to where Raven should have been but she wasn't there. That wouldn't have been normal except her stuff was gone as well. There was a note on the ground where her sleeping bag and backpack usually was. He got up and picked it up. It was a piece of paper ripped out of her journal; the one Annabeth had given her.

It read: "I have a job to do. I'm sorry."