Percy hadn't slept very well the night before leaving on the quest. He had thought he'd felt just fine, but as soon as Luke started driving Percy realized just how tired he was. He tried to stay awake for as long as he could, but Percy could barely keep his eyes open for ten minutes before he began to doze off. He had thought that he would just rest his eyes for a few short minutes, but every time he opened his eyes he felt even more exhausted than before so he just changed his position and went back to sleep
This happened three or four times before Percy woke up and actually felt aware and somewhat refreshed. He groaned slightly and stretched out as much as he could. He'd felt so comfortable dozing off, but he felt stiff and sore now. How could people handle sleeping on the subway when it was even more cramped than this car was?
"You finally up?" Luke looked back at Percy in the rearview mirror.
"Yeah," Percy rubbed his neck, which still hurt. He glanced out the window and frowned when he saw how bright it was. It had been really early when they had left, but the sun was up and shining brightly now. Percy had slept much longer than he thought he would. "Where are we?"
"We're about halfway to Cleveland, where we'll stop for a late lunch." Luke said. "We should be there in about four hours, so if you're hungry I suggest you eat something. That's what the snacks are for. And while you're at it can you pass me one of those chocolate chip cookies?"
Percy opened one of the packages that had two large cookies in it. He handed one to Luke and kept the other for himself. He thought he would like the treat, but after just a few bites his stomach felt like it was rebelling against him and the cookie just tasted wrong in his mouth. He couldn't help but feel like these were nowhere near as good as his mom's home-made blue chocolate chip cookies. Percy hadn't expected them to taste the same, but with his mom gone, and the fear that he would never see her again and never get to have one of her hot cookies, it almost made Percy never want to eat a chocolate chip cookie again. It just hurt too much.
Luke glanced over his shoulder towards him as he finished off his own cookie. "It not agreeing with you?"
Percy shook his head. "It feels wrong." Percy put the cookie down on the bag and pulled his legs up close to his chest. Luke was still watching Percy, which was a little nerve-racking, since he was supposed to be keeping his eyes on the road. Percy swallowed thickly, trying to push back the tears before they came back all over again. "It's just...they're not my mom's."
"Ah," Luke nodded and gave Percy a small, pained smile before he turned back around again. "I get it. Nothing beats a fresh cookie, right out of the oven." Percy could see the way that Luke's hands tightened around the steering wheel. "Especially on a really rough day, when they seem to be done right when you need it most."
Percy nodded, remembering how whenever he and Smelly Gabe got into their fights, his mom always had a plate of hot cookies and some fresh bean dip on hand to diffuse the situation. It was like she knew what they would need before they even needed it at all.
Percy was used to hearing people at school talk about their family relationships. Sometimes they were bragging, sometimes they were homesick and just needed to talk about home. It took Percy a long moment to realize why it was so weird to hear it from Luke. For one thing, Luke was nineteen, an adult, and it was odd for Percy to hear a grown-up sounding like a somewhat resentful but still kinda homesick kid.
The other reason why it was weird was that Percy hadn't heard any of the other demigods talk about their mortal homes. It seemed to be a taboo subject, and Percy didn't understand why. He knew that there were demigods who didn't have good home lives, but he couldn't be the only one who actually had a good relationship with his mortal parent.
"Did your mom make cookies too?" Percy asked.
"All the time," Luke made a sound a little like a scoff, but it didn't quite get there. Percy didn't know what it meant, but he didn't really like it. Luke was quiet for a moment before he sighed. "It was one of the only things she could think to do to help me."
Percy wasn't sure what to say about that, but he couldn't just stay quiet. It just wouldn't feel right. "Well, at least she tried."
"I just wish she hadn't tried so hard." Luke said quietly.
"What's your mom like?" Percy asked. Right after the words left his mouth he realized just how insensitive it probably was to ask. "Sorry. You don't have to tell me, you know, if you don't want to."
"No, I don't mind," Luke said, though the stiffness in his voice suggested otherwise. "I'm not ashamed." Luke tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "My mom has the gift of prophecy, but, well, you saw the oracle in the attic, you saw how freaky that kinda thing could be."
Percy couldn't help but shudder. He was sure that he would be having nightmares about that experience. "Your mom was like that?"
"It was a little different," Luke said. "On her good days things might have been completely normal. She coddled me, spoiled me, and swore she would protect me from everything. It was...nice, but weird. Even as a kid, I got the feeling that she was trying to shelter me, that she was terrified of something, and taking care of me was the only way she knew how to handle it."
Percy frowned. "What about her bad days?"
Luke let out a slow, shaky breath. "That was when she had a vision. I know that she saw something about me, but she wouldn't, or couldn't, tell me what it was. I just knew that it scared her badly, and when she was scared she got frantic and, well, scary."
Luke leaned back against the headrest. "One time when I was nine we had run out of food, so I went to the store to steal some things." Percy wasn't about to judge child Luke for stealing. Considering his mom's condition, Luke probably hadn't had any other choice. "I couldn't have been gone for more than half an hour, but she must have seen something while I was gone, and when I got back she was completely freaking out."
Percy could only imagine, being so worried for someone's safety, only to realize that you didn't know where they were. He might panic himself, and he didn't have as fragile a state of mind as Luke's mom seemed to have. Percy remembered how confused and scared he'd been of the Oracle. If Luke's mom was anything like that when she was freaking out, it would have scared any kid to see their parent like that, but especially if Luke's mom had also been angry and worried about not knowing where he had gone. Percy knew from experience that moms could get a little scary when they were really worried about the well-being of their kid.
No wonder Luke had been scared of his mom. Percy was just a little bit freaking out at the thought of her, and he'd only just learned about her.
"I ran away after that," Luke said. "I had run off before, after a bad day, or when my mom had one of her fits in the middle of the night, waking me up. I usually just needed a few hours to myself, maybe a night at the park, but after that,I just couldn't take it anymore."
"But...you still love your mom, right?" Percy asked. He couldn't imagine why Luke would be feeling nostalgic for his mom's cookies if he resented and feared her.
"I tried to tell myself I didn't when I was a kid, but by the time I was twelve I realized that I just can't hate her." Luke said. "She was intense sometimes, but she's still my mom, and she's done more for me than my dad ever would." Percy didn't think he could be as forgiving as Luke was. Percy was a fighter by nature. When someone hurt him, he never forgot it, and he wasn't quick to give them another chance.
Grover bleated in his sleep in the backseat as he rolled over and shifted his position. Percy glanced back towards his friend. Grover looked so peaceful in his sleep, which Percy didn't understand. He felt so antsy and anxious that he couldn't sit still. He didn't know how he was going to handle four more hours of this.
"Are we not stopping at all until we get to Cleveland?"
"We're not stopping for lunch until then," Luke said. "We'll need to get some gas and stop for a bathroom break soon, but we can't stop for long."
Percy found himself bouncing his leg rapidly. He couldn't seem to make himself stop. Luke hummed slightly and raised an eyebrow at Percy through the rearview mirror.
"I'll tell you what, after we get gas we'll get a few minutes of sparring in, get that energy out before getting back on the road." Luke said. Percy brightened and felt more relaxed at the suggestion. The thought of sword fighting was still a little odd, and even though Percy had already fought a monster it still didn't feel like a vital skill that was necessary to his very survival. However, it really was a great way to get a handle on his ADHD.
It was another half an hour before they stopped, but Percy barely noticed the time. Luke started telling him some of the Greek myths. Percy had learned a few things from Annabeth, but he preferred the way that Luke talked to him about it. Even though they both knew that the stories were true, Luke talked about them like they were just distant myths. He also focused on the heroes. Percy got an abbreviated version of the Trojan War, some highlights of Heracles' trials, and a quick story or two about the original Perseus.
The few times that Luke had no choice but to talk about the gods for his stories, he used the silliest, most exaggerated voices that he could manage, and Percy couldn't help but laugh loudly at it. Maybe it was disrespectful to mock the gods like this, but if somebody was going to make such ridiculous decisions all the time, they needed to be ready for a little mockery.
Grover woke up just as Luke started talking about the golden apple incident that sparked the start of the Trojan War, and even the satyr couldn't help but laugh at Luke's impersonation of Prosephone, Hera, and Athena as they fought over who was the most beautiful. Grover may have more respect for the gods than Luke and Percy did, but even he seemed willing to recognize how hilarious the pettiness of the gods was.
Luke finally pulled over at an abandoned looking gas station that was surprisingly open. Percy quickly went to the bathroom before returning to the car to get the practice sword he'd brought along with Riptide. He was counting on the mist to keep the few people who were around from truly seeing the sword. Luke had promised him sparring, and Percy wasn't going to let him back out.
Percy uncapped Riptide and went through a couple of the sets that Luke had taught him. It felt a lot easier with this sword than it did with his practice sword. Percy would love to rely completely on just this perfectly balanced sword, but he'd already decided to give the camp's loaned sword a chance. Percy reluctantly unsheathed the practice sword. For a moment he just stood there, holding Riptide in his left hand and the other sword, a slightly curved kopis blade, in his right. He wondered if Luke would be able to teach him how to use both of these swords at once. He had two weapons, he might as well make them both useful.
"You almost look like a warrior," Luke commented as he joined them. "All you need now is the confidence."
"Real skill would probably come in handy too." Percy said unhappily. Luke laughed.
"We'll get you there." Luke said. "But you would be surprised at how many monsters you can scare away just by intimidation alone. If nine year old me can scare away little monsters with nothing more than a dagger, you can do it with two swords." Luke took his sword out of his scabbard and Percy paused when he saw it. Half the blade looked like normal steel while the other half looked like celestial bronze.
"Do you like it?" Luke held the sword in both his hands and gave it a swing. "I've been working on it for the better part of two years now. This is Backbiter, the only sword effective against both mortals and monsters."
"I thought Chiron said we weren't supposed to hurt mortals." Percy said uneasily. Luke gave him an odd look that made Percy feel like a dumb kid.
"Not all threats to demigods are monsters." Luke said. "Trust me, sometimes mortals can be even more dangerous than monsters are." Percy wasn't so sure about this, but then he thought about Smelly Gabe who was always threatening him and making him feel unwelcome in his own home. Then he thought about young Luke, who ran away from home because he was afraid of his own mother. If Luke felt safer about being capable of defending himself against mortals, then Percy thought it might be okay. Just as long as Luke didn't go around attacking people.
"Do all swords need names?" Percy asked as he looked at the practice sword in his hand.
"Not necessarily," Luke shrugged. "It can help you to see it as an extension of yourself, not just a tool."
Percy thought for a moment about all the stories that Luke had told him, and how one small golden apple had caused so much trouble for the gods and mortals. "Chaos Bringer." He didn't want to cause trouble, but it seemed to be what everybody expected from him, and Percy was going to make them all regret underestimating him.
Luke paled ever so slightly, but he also laughed and looked amused. "Chaos Bringer. Seems appropriate. I like it." Luke lifted his sword. "Alright, first thing's first, you've gotta work on building up the muscles of your left arm. So, let's go through some of those sets, except do it with your left arm. Use your right weapon almost like a shield, to defend any weak spots or openings."
Percy started with the easiest sets, and almost immediately he started to struggle. He had never thought about how much easier it was to use his right arm. He had to consciously put effort into something that had started to feel like second nature. It was hard, especially when Percy had to split his concentration between both Riptide and Chaos Bringer. He was careful to not get sloppy with Riptide. He kept the sword raised, and when Luke started walking around him to double check his form Percy made sure to keep Riptide aimed towards Luke. He had it raised to defend, and ready to attack if it was necessary.
"Not a bad start." Luke said. He stepped in front of Percy, his sword raised. "Let's see if you can figure out how to fight with both your weapons at once." Luke lunged forward. Percy automatically moved to block him with Chaos Bringer before he realized that it would probably be smarter to defend with his non-dominant hand so he could then retaliate with his right hand. Percy tried to switch in the middle of his move, which just threw him off even more. Percy ended up getting nicked by Backbiter, and it stung more than he thought it would.
"What was that?" Luke frowned.
"I was stupid and tried to switch what I was doing in the middle of it." Percy said. Luke had drilled into him over and over again how important it was while fighting to commit to a plan, whether it was the best idea or not. In the middle of a battle, it could be dangerous to try to change strategies, since it took time and distracted you from the fight. "I should have just blocked with Chaos Bringer and attacked with Riptide."
Luke nodded. "Add that move to your daily sets. Soon it will become just as second nature as your other sets."
Percy adjusted his grip on his swords and got ready to practice just that. Suddenly Grover tensed and looked around with wild eyes. He was sniffing loudly, so either he was about to start crying, he was having an allergic reaction, or he could smell something.
"Guys, something's coming." Grover said nervously. Luke reacted immediately.
"Grover, get Percy to the car," Luke said. "I'll hold them off." Percy immediately started to protest, but Luke cut him off before he could even get started. "Look, I can handle myself in a fight, but not if I have to babysit you guys too. Just go, I'll be right behind you."
Percy didn't want to, but Grover looked even more reluctant than Percy did. The satyr looked like he was going to be sick. "Luke, I can't-" Suddenly they heard screeching and wing flapping. Percy looked up to see Mrs. Dodds flying towards them with two other demon math teachers just behind her.
"You little thief." Mrs. Dodds hissed. Percy had already destroyed her, he knew he shouldn't be so scared of a math teacher, but he was terrified of her. "Give it back!"
"Grover!" Luke snapped. "Just get out of here and let me deal with the Furies." When Grover didn't move right away Luke's expression darkened. "Now!"
Grover whined and shut his eyes tight as he grabbed Percy's hand and pulled him towards the car. The Furies flew after them, but Luke jumped in the way, swinging his sword. He sliced at the Fury to the left of Mrs. Dodds and turned her to dust. Mrs. Dodds kept her attention only on Percy, but the other Fury turned her attention to Luke. She moved to attack him, but Luke ducked past her and ran straight towards Mrs. Dodds. Luke stabbed her clean through the chest before she even knew what was happening. For the second time in his life Percy watched his match teacher explode into dust. Now just one Fury remained.
Percy had been watching Luke anxiously, but when he saw how easily Luke had taken down the other monsters he felt comfortable enough to turn around and actually get into the car. He was confident that Luke would be fine on his own, so Percy turned his attention to a problem he could actually fix.
Grover crawled into the backseat. He took his hat off and started nibbling on it anxiously. Percy frowned and sat next to Grover. He put a hand on Grover's leg. "Hey, man, you okay?"
Grover shook his head. "I can't...I can't do this again. This can't be happening again."
Percy didn't know what Grover was talking about, but he doubted his friend was in any state to explain more. It didn't matter why Grover was upset though, all that mattered was that Percy did what he could to calm him down.
"Hey, it's going to be okay," Percy said. "Luke'll be here any second now, and then we'll be on the road again." Grover didn't look completely convinced. Percy nudged him. "Come on, do you really think a math teacher will take Luke down?"
Grover let out a weak, watery laugh. He shook his head. "See? We'll be just fine." Percy barely got the words out before the front door of the car opened and Luke got in. He was sweating and he had a somewhat manic look in his eyes, but other than a cut on his arm he looked just fine.
"Luke!" Grover bleated. He scrambled past Percy to the front seat. Grover practically dove between the two front seats as he desperately reached for Luke and clung tightly to him. "You fought off the Furies!"
"I told you I would." Luke said confidently, though somewhat awkwardly. "Come on, don't you trust me?" For some reason this made Grover even more distressed. He whined and buried his face in Luke's chest. Luke looked at Percy almost desperately. Percy shrugged and pat Grover's back to try to comfort him.
It took Grover a long moment to calm down. "Please, no more holding monsters off." Grover looked over his shoulder towards Percy. "That goes for you too."
Luke was confused for a moment before an understanding look came into his eyes. He sighed and nodded. "You're right, we're a team. From now on we fight monsters together or not at all. No more needlessly heroic sacrifices."
"Promise?" Grover asked weakly yet sternly.
"Promise," Percy said quickly, and not just because he wanted Grover to feel better. Percy also thought that they were supposed to work together. That was the whole point of going on a quest together.
"Promise," Luke said. "Don't worry, nobody's going to turn into a tree here." Percy gave Luke an odd look, but the older boy just gave him a stern look that said not now. Percy decided to let it drop, at least for now. He would definitely ask Luke again later, probably when Grover was asleep and he didn't have to worry about upsetting him again.
Luke gave Grover another minute to calm down before he pulled away from him. "Hey, you're okay, and I'm okay, but we've gotta get going again. This car isn't going to drive itself."
Grover nodded and sheepishly retreated back to his seat. Percy decided to stay in the backseat with him, at least for an hour or two, just to make sure that Grover really was okay. Luke watched them for a moment before he turned the car on again and started driving.
Grover fiddled with his hat before he put it back on. "I'm sorry for freaking out back there. I should be better than this."
"Yeah? Says who?" Percy asked. He had dealt with people setting impossible expectations for him, and he was sick and tired of it. He wasn't about to tolerate his best friend setting those impossible expectations for himself. "And don't worry about it. Getting attacked by monsters is a perfectly understandable thing to freak out about."
"You did fine, Grover," Luke added from the front. "Considering the circumstances, you did great, and I'll do my best to not force you into that situation again."
Grover nodded and leaned slightly against Percy. He was still upset, and Percy wanted to get his mind off of whatever was bothering him. "So, Luke, you got any more stories about Greek heroes?"
Luke grinned. "You ever heard of Orpheus and Eurydice?"
"The name sounds familiar," Percy said.
"Orpheus was one of the people who went to the underworld and came back alive." Grover said. "It's a really tragic story."
Sometimes Percy really hated Greek mythology. Heroes were supposed to have happy endings, especially heroes who did something so impossible as to get out of the underworld, but apparently not. Percy wondered why people like Annabeth were so desperate to go on a quest and become a hero when it never ended well. Yeah, heroes went down in history, but when that only happened because their lives were a living Hell, was it really worth it?
Still, Percy was planning on going to the underworld himself. He figured he might as well get as much information as he could about how other people had accomplished that. "How's their story go?"
"The thing I like about Orpheus is nobody really knows who his parents are," Luke began. "Some say he's a child of Apollo, other's say he's the son of a king. His mother might have been a muse, a princess, a random mortal, but regardless of who his parents were, all the stories agree that Orpheus was a great poet and singer. He's one of the few heroes who made a name for himself beyond just being the child of a god."
"And not many Greek heroes thought that the pen was mightier than the sword." Grover said. "Sometimes I wish that Camp Half-Blood talked more about you being a hero without being a fighter."
"Yeah," Luke said. "I can't tell you how many kids at the Hermes cabin feel like they don't belong at camp at all, because they're not as interested in fighting as the Ares and Athena kids are."
Percy could relate. He had felt like an outcast at camp. He'd thought it was just because he'd been new, and that after he got used to all of these changes they would start to feel more like second nature to him, but now he wasn't so sure. He wasn't as competitive about the rock climbing wall or capture the flag as a lot of the other campers were, and he didn't know if he wanted to be.
"How did Orpheus get out of the underworld just by being a singer?" Percy asked.
Luke chuckled. "There's nothing 'just' about his music. If Orpheus wasn't a singer, he never would have gotten to the underworld in the first place, or been able to leave it. First, you should know why he went down there in the first place. It all started with a woman named Eurydice." And Luke started the story.
A/N: It feels weird to have Luke talk to openly about his mom, but it also feels extremely natural. Maybe Luke's just trying to get Percy to empathize with him to get him on his side or something.
The way I look at Luke is kinda odd. Considering his childhood, and him living on the streets for five years, and then becoming the head of the Hermes cabin, Luke has always struck me as a really responsible kid. He may resent the gods, but I see Luke as caring about the other children of the gods more than anything else, which makes his loyalty to Kronos make no sense. He has to know that Kronos' world wouldn't be any kinder to the demigods than the gods' world is.
It's really weird that I have started to see canon Luke as being almost OOC.