Chapter X:
you drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it.
Luke knew he was in a dream. The sky behind him was blood red and the sands were an ashen grey. The air stung his lungs, causing him to hack and cough blood. This was it. This was what he had been waiting for.
The Gods were useless, worthless, selfish slobs.
What had they ever done for him? Or for anyone? Nothing.
He couldn't wait to see their faces when he destroyed their world. The world they claimed to care about so much.
He couldn't wait to see their faces when he had them chained up, begging for mercy.
He couldn't wait to make them pay for what they had done.
A real father wouldn't have let the mother of his son wither away. Right?
A real father wouldn't have let his only daughter, Thalia, die. Right?
An oily, dark liquid had formed around him, sloshing frigid elixir around his ankles.
He had arrived.
Why are you scared? A voice boomed inside his head. It was the voice of his savior. The one who would bring balance. The one who talked to him every day, filling him with a burning desire for revenge. The one who had given him this opportunity.
"I'm not." Luke said sternly, gritting his teeth.
The dark water was up to his knees now. He couldn't feel his legs anymore.
Prove it. Prove that you will be my loyal servant.
Luke stared at his scarred reflection one last time, before ducking below the surface and succumbing to the Titan Lord's will.
He wasn't ready for the pain that followed. The faces of the people that he had once loved flashed past him. Now was the time to let go.
Luke tried, but it was too much. All he felt was pain. His pain. His failures. His sorrows. All of it converging at the point of his mortality. He couldn't breathe.
Is this too hard? The voice said in an almost mocking tone.
Luke dug deep. He willed himself to forget, channeling his hatred outwards as everything was sucked away into the black hole.
It was as if his internals were being broiled from the inside. Black fog streamed into his gaping mouth, replacing his silent screams. The Curse of Achilles was the only thing keeping his mortal body intact.
He felt his memories fade. Gone forever.
At the end of it all, Luke crawled his way out of the infinite night, forever changed. His eyes now glowed a pulsing gold.
But one image still remained. Untouched. Trapped deep inside the man that was once Luke Castellan. Something that the Titan could not even see. Something Luke could not see himself. His hidden anchor. His hidden light.
It was a girl. With sparkling grey eyes.
"I am ready." The voice and Luke said simultaneously, becoming one.
Author's Note:
Well, this brings the Ballad to a conclusion. I figured that writing about Luke's fall would be a fitting end. His character arch is just beautiful. He's almost like the PJO version of Anakin, kinda. Speaking of Star Wars, might writing another one-shot for that fandom. Thank you to ChampionOfTheHearth, for being a great person to talk to about fanfiction. He's made me a much better writer. I might go back through and edit some of the one-shots to make them better. If you want to use any of the prompts, just pm me (pm alerts are coming back!). Thank you all so much for your feedback. Eventually I'll write a sequel to this collection (maybe). Not sure if it's still gonna be a lighter companion, or a darker one. The voyage continues... Peace and love.
Disclaimer: Quote by Paulo Coelho.