Now there was nothing I wanted more than to just gallop through the camp, feeling the rush of exhilaration as power and speed coursed through me, always trusting Snowstorm to take me safely from start to finish. She talked to me like we were old friends and understood my fears for Percy and comforted me that so long as he was near water, then surely the power of our father would protect him, and if he happened to be near any horses then they would most definitely rise to his aid if he was in danger. This kind of reassurance was more than enough to settle that nauseating feeling in my stomach enough so that I didn't feel like I wanted to throw up all the time, though didn't vanish completely. It probably wouldn't until I knew Percy was safely back here. Anyway with my new friend, things didn't feel so empty and bleak, so when I turned up for my next private sword lesson with Luke riding on Snow's back, I'd heard him laugh as we aimed straight for him and pulled back at the last second, Snow rearing up whilst I expertly kept my seat. "Whoa! Where did she come from?"
"Isn't she amazing? This is Snowstorm, my new friend. Snow this is Luke, he's teaching me how to fight better one on one." I said to her as I patted her neck heartily. "Why don't you go have a rest for a bit? We're going to be a while here. I'm pretty sure the grass around here is good for grazing, and there's a fountain not too far away for water…what am I saying? You probably know all this already." I beamed, leaning down across her neck and pressing a kiss into her neck.
'Do not worry for me my lady, I shall be close by. I would like to watch if you would not mind? We can even cheat if you like, and I can tell you where this son of Hermes is attacking from.' Chuckling at her mischievous tone, I told her that as much as I appreciated it, I needed to learn how to defend myself my own way. Dismounting, I could feel Luke staring at me incredulously as Snow then trotted away, brushing the tips of her wings against my cheek the way she did whenever she left me.
"So it's true, you really can talk to animals. You're like a demigod Disney princess." He teased me so I shot him a dry look as I went to where I knew the swords were spread out in a weapons stack in order to find the one I usually used.
"Technically it's only horses and pegasi I can hear, and how dare you compare me to a Disney princess? The nerve." He laughed but said nothing more other than to tell me to take up my stance. We carried on with our lesson as usual, Luke starting to make things a little more complicated with the moves such as disarming and deflecting. I was starting to get the hang of it, even managing to catch him by surprise a couple of times though mostly it was pure fluke. All the while Snowstorm called out to me with encouragement, saying that I only needed to give the word and she'd gallop over and kick Luke in the face. I giggled and snorted, which only made Luke curious as to what she was saying but I refused to tell him. He tried to force me to tell him, prodding me and smacking me lightly with his sword but now I was better at figuring out where he was coming from, fighting back and once I had found my grounding, even started to press the attack. It startled at him at first but then he met my challenge, the both of us growing deadly silent and serious as our movements picked up in speed.
Out swords barely touched before they were moving again, using my ears and instincts to judge where Luke was coming next as I was able to feel the movement of his body and shoulders, hear the shuffle of his feet which I was gradually beginning to learn would clue me into what he planned next. I couldn't believe it, I was really starting to hold my own. Everything else seemed to spiral away out of mind other than the constant clashing of our weapons, and in a surge of confidence I sidestepped Luke and turned my body away from him, feeling the rush of air from his sword as it slashed downward and caught his wrist to bring the hilt of my sword against his hand with such speed that his hand opened and his sword dropped. My foot slid behind his as I then shoved my entire weight against him and managed to veer him back a step, and that was all I needed to have him pressed into the floor with my knee against his gut and my sword pointed at him. It was only then that I woke up, shock hitting me all at once as I froze in place and Luke just stared at me, breathing heavily as both of us sweated from the strain of our effort. "Whatever you do, don't move. Any closer and you'll poke out my eye." Luke warned me finally, causing me to squeak and hastily scramble back away from him, making him laugh.
"Oh my gods I'm so sorry, are you alright? I didn't cut you or anything? How's your hand?" But against my fussing and worrying, Luke only laughed harder as he rolled himself back onto his feet, grabbing his sword from where it had fallen and cleaning it off from the sand of the arena.
"You and Percy are so alike, there's no need to apologise! That was brilliant, Lils, totally brilliant and you should be proud of yourself. You let go of everything and just let your body do all the work." Luke sounded so excited that I think he was perhaps even happier about my success than I was, as suddenly I felt his arms rush around me and pick me up all at once to spin me around as I shrieked. My sword soon dropped somewhere unknown as Luke continued to spin with me until I was lightheaded and dizzy, giggling like a little girl. He put me down and anchored a hand to my shoulder to make sure I didn't fall, rubbing my head until I felt balanced once again, though now I had no idea which way I was facing or where my sword had fallen, though Luke kindly brought it to me. "We really need to get you set up with a better sword. Maybe I'll ash Chiron to see if he has any weapons hidden away somewhere, or maybe cabin nine would agree to make you one? Anyway, we need to celebrate. Come on! I know where we can raid some food, let's go!" Pulling me by the hand, I stuttered as Luke stashed my sword back with the others then took off with me, Snowstorm calling after me.
'Have fun my lady! Whistle for me when you need!' Then I assume she went back to her grazing, though I suspect she also wanted to go raid the strawberry fields because she was mad for them. It was one of the things we bonded over, because strawberries were our favourite. I'd had strawberries before but none like these, so I always had extra helpings of them come mealtimes. But anyway, Luke was leading me rather deftly to where all the stores were kept that supplied camp. He whispered to me as I felt each door and their number, telling me the kind of stuff was in each one. You know, toilet roll, soap, spare clothes, supplies for the shop, those kind of things. However the one we were after was the food storage. I had no idea that Luke was into all this sneaking around and stealing, but I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised. He picked the lock and had me stand guard at the door, though at first I pointed out I was a pretty poor scout.
"Ah maybe, but your ears are sharp. Just let me know if you hear anyone coming, I'll be quick as a flash." He promised before disappearing inside. Smiling warmly, I rather liked this feeling of rebelliousness and turned my head in order to listen for anyone coming, but all was quiet and Luke really was fast. He returned carrying what seemed like a rather large armful of things and I soon found one of the boxes he'd stolen being pushed into my arms so I grabbed it then hurriedly followed after him, struggling not to giggle. We went to one of my hiding spots, Luke having discovered a few of them but I knew where the best ones were, and once we were settled we both started to set down all the things he'd stolen. "Okay, so we have cookies, chocolate chip of course, as well as chocolate, I found some ice cream, vanilla flavoured, oh and here's some marshmallows for the sing-alongs, and I even brought some spare glasses they keep for the mess hall so we can drink whatever we want."
"They have all of this in storage? Why don't we ever see it?"
"It's for special occasions really, but don't worry they won't miss it. Come on, eat up! If nothing else, you deserve it." Luke urged and he didn't need to tell me twice, I dove straight into the ice cream and almost melted it tasted so good. It had been over a fortnight since I'd had any junk food and I only then realised how much I missed it.
"Damn, what I wouldn't give for a real cheeseburger right about now. With fries. Oh and onion rings. Or even just a regular corndog. I miss crappy food so much." I said as I began to feast on everything whilst Luke did the same. "So do you raid the stores often?" Once again I heard the grin in his voice.
"Only from time to time. I get sugar cravings just like anyone else and the nymphs are yet to catch me. I can teach you how to pick locks, if you want? It's a handy skill, trust me." To this I rather proudly told him that I already could since I'd taught myself a few years ago in order to sneak into the kitchens and raid their cupboards and freezers at all the boarding schools I'd ever been to, a little like we had just done now. "Ah so I have a fellow partner in crime then? Good, now I know who to blame if we get caught." I tossed a cookie at him, making him chuckle. I sat there for a moment, feeling a strong urge to really want to see him, but I kept on biting my tongue and as I debated with myself over whether or not I should ask him, Luke noticed me twisting my bracelet around my wrist. "What's on your mind?"
"It's just…um…you might find this weird but…can I…can I see you? Your face, I mean." I knew very well that I was blushing deeply as I asked him, but now I just couldn't hold back my curiosity. "I can map out a person's face pretty well if I touch them, but you don't have to, you can say no. I'm just a little curious." If Luke was surprised or put off by my request he didn't reveal it, telling me that I could and brought his face closer to mine so that when he picked up one of my hands and brought it to his cheek, I jumped slightly with embarrassment but didn't pull away. Closing my eyes I started to trace my fingers over his features as lightly as I could whilst he stayed very still. Gaining confidence, I lifted my other hand and together they moved away from one another to follow the line of his jaw which was sharp and defined, before then coming back together as they followed the shape of his cheekbones. His nose was straight and well proportioned, making my head tilt to the side. "Huh, I always figured you'd have a broken nose, considering how much fighting in the arena you do." He smiled then, I could feel it as his cheeks lifted.
"Oh no it's been broken plenty of times before, but ambrosia and nectar healed it up nicely so I'm still rather handsome." He sounded cocky then, but in a joking way so I smiled but didn't answer. He had light, feathery lashes and straight eyebrows, however I couldn't help but trace the line of his scar down the right side of his face, just where he'd told me it was. It started under his eye and went all the way to his jaw, thicker than I expected, and I had to wonder what had made it. "A dragon did that. Ladon, the guardian of the Garden of Hesperides. It was the quest I failed to complete, to get one of the golden apples." Feeling his expression tense under my fingers, I mapped out the last of his features before then smirking.
"Strawberries are better than apples anyway. Even golden ones." I informed him simply, knowing that being sympathetic and pitying towards him would not be what he wanted. It did the trick, returning a little of his humour as we continued to feast. "Tell me more about before you came to Camp Half-Blood. You seem to know Annabeth well, how long have you known her?" Choosing to change the subject, Luke paused for a while before gradually beginning to talk. He told me how he'd run away from home when he was around nine, and lived on the streets until fourteen when he was eventually brought here. Along the way he'd met Annabeth, but first he'd teamed up with Thalia Grace, the girl who'd lost her life and become the tree that helped strengthen the magic barrier that protected us. I learned the story then, the true story, of how they had been chased there after accidentally stumbling into a Cyclopes' lair, only managing to escape because Annabeth was the only one of the three that wasn't tricked by the voice of a loved one that had led to their capture. Not only did they have Cyclopes' on their tail, but also a pack of hellhounds and all three Furies. Thalia died so that the others could live, and I scowled when I learned that it was Grover who had found them and gotten them lost in the first place. Luke even talked a little about meeting his father beforehand, and that was when I heard the resentment and bitterness in his voice. I understood. "They screw us up, don't they? Then they don't even take responsibility for it. I thought gods were meant to be kind and benevolent protectors. This lot squabble and fight like children."
"I know. It's not right that they're left with all the power. If only they would just…" Whatever Luke had intended to say he trailed off, thinking better of it. However, I did fell him look at me softly, his hand even reaching out to brush away some cookie crumbs that had stuck to the corner of my mouth. "I knew you'd understand Lils. I think you more than anyone have the right to be angry at the gods with the way they've treated you. We're nothing more than pawns to them. Tools. Cheap entertainment for their use. We're expendable." This made me shudder and my face fell with fear, creasing deeply as I thought of Percy. "No I mean…Percy will be okay. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Let's talk about something else. Why don't you tell me about what it was like for you in the outside world? You've lasted longer than any half-blood I've ever known out there, especially considering you're a child of one of the Big Three."
"I don't know why, I mean we're supposed to give off a strong scent right? Monsters should have been swarming over Percy and me like flies on a rotten tomato seeing as we were always together too. I can't understand it, though Chiron thinks it has something to do with my stepdad, the guy my mom married. Ugh, he is vile, a really scummy person and he smelled like old sweat, cigars and cheap beer all the time. But Chiron thinks this is what helped cover up mine and Percy's demigod scent. If it was then…then my mom put up with that asshole for years just to protect us." Not wanting to think about it, I stuffed another cookie into my mouth. I then told Luke about what school was like for me, how Percy and I always got into trouble, usually for fighting, though it was always him that got expelled from places and mom always wanted us together. Now it made sense, because it was easier to keep an eye on us both if we were at the same school, despite the scent we might have given off. I'm not sure, I really wanted to ask mom the truth, but of course I couldn't.
Still there were plenty of epic stories to tell, like the time I had accidentally set fire to the science teacher's lab coat and set off the sprinkler system. That was one of the few times I got into more trouble than Percy. It was good talking to Luke like this, considering he was probably one of the few other half-bloods that I would describe as friends. I hadn't exactly been Miss Sociable, but Luke always had half an eye on me and had made me feel welcome, which was more than what I could say for all the kids in my last six schools combined. I like to think that Luke and I became real friends after that, not just a cool guy looking out for a girl he pitied, but actual friends. Even Snowstorm liked him, telling me that he was handsome and that I shouldn't let such a guy get away from me. To this I laughed because I had no doubt that there was no way Luke would ever feel that way about me, and besides I had no intentions of dating anyone. Especially with everything going on. It had been a couple of days since the start of Percy's quest, and there had been no word. I didn't expect any calls or anything, because apparently using a phone was like shooting a flare into the sky to signal to all nearby monsters where you were, and I hoped Percy wouldn't forget it. Still I missed him. If it weren't for Snowstorm, I think I would have been exceedingly lonely, though the water nymphs and naiads seemed adamant to be friendly with me, just as much as the horses and pegasi. I hoped things would resolve themselves soon, otherwise rules be damned. I'd go after Percy myself and find a way to put a stop to this nonsense.