To Be a Traitor

*Summary*

Luke Castellan was a son of Hermes, but he was also so much more. Not much is known about his thoughts except the fact that he was the hero in the Great Prophecy, not Percy. What did he feel like, and what turned him over to the other side?

A father who cares. A mother who was normal. A happy life. That is all I ever wanted. I didn't ask to be a demigod son of a man who cared nothing for us. I didn't ask to be the son of a woman who knew very well what awaited me when she made the decision she shouldn't have. I didn't ask to be used as a pawn in the games of those who deemed themselves worthier than I, yet it all happened anyway. My mother kept speaking of a future she saw for me, yet, by doing what they did, they pushed me further towards it.

I ran away from home, away from everything I knew, to make a life for myself. I found Thalia, and soon Annabeth too. We became each other's family, bound by a single promise to always protect each other. I remember the day Thalia and I met Halcyon Green. If I had hated the gods before, his story had only given me an even bigger reason to hate them. Not only did they abandon us to live amongst the monsters, they also wanted us to be selfish like them, and that was something that definitely didn't sit well with me.

After what seemed like an eternity of fending for ourselves, a satyr finally found us to take us to what he called a safe haven for people like us. He led us there even as monsters caught scent of our trail. Before we knew it, we were running for our lives again. This time,we lost the battle we had been fighting for so long. Grover lost the way and we ended up right where the Cyclops wanted us. If it hadn't been for Annabeth that day, we never would have made it out, yet far worse things than capture happened that fateful day.

The monsters caught up with us. None of us were in much shape to fight, and I didn't have a weapon to call my own like Thalia's Aegis and Annabeth's bronze dagger. Thalia told us to run for our lives. She told me to save Annabeth and that she'll be waiting for me after she holds the monsters off. I ran, but it wasn't enough to stop us from seeing the horror of it all. By the time I realized what Thalia had meant, it was too late. Help arrived from the haven they called Camp Half-blood, yet all that they found was the dying form of a young girl who had sacrificed herself to save her friends. They watched in awe as a blinding flash cut across the sky, turning the dying girl into a pine tree. Yes, awe, for none could have ever grieved Thalia as much as I did. Annabeth had been only seven, and Grover had hardly known us for long. I alone grieved for the daughter of Zeus.

The Camp, for a while, was like one big happy family. That was until I realized it was big, but definitely not happy. The first time, I got sent on what they called a quest. A quest to steal the Golden Apples from the Hesperides. It was supposed to be an honour, yet it hardly felt like it. They were expecting me to steal. Just because my father was the god of thieves, that just didn't make me the man for the job. Secondly, it was something Hercules had already done. It wasn't anything new or great. All I got from that was a huge scar that ran along my face, courtesy of Ladon. The only thing I got from the quest was a huge reminder of the cruelty of the gods. The laurel wreath bestowed upon me when I returned felt like a mockery instead.

The cabin that I had left half empty was now so full that there was hardly any space to call our own. The gods had children of their own, yet they didn't even bother to claim them. All the unclaimed had been thrust into the Hermes Cabin, forced to steal all that they wanted. The arrival of the new boy, Perseus Jackson, had only made it worse. He became the hero in a single day, all for killing the Minotaur. Then, he got claimed by Poseidon and sent on a quest. The campers forgot all about me, and even Thalia. That is when Kronos came to me. I hadn't known it was him at first. He promised a better world for us. A chance to make things better. A chance to live in a time where Annabeth would be safe with me and we would all be happy. All I had to do was kill Percy.

I started recruiting half-bloods for my cause. Silena helped me from within the camp. I had a sword to call my own, and things got better from there. Our army grew in numbers. The only downside was that Annabeth knew nothing of this. She had gotten so attached to Chiron and telling her would have blown my cover even before I got started. I tried to win her over when she came aboard the Princess Andromeda, but she refused. At least, I still won, because Annabeth returning with the Golden Fleece meant that Thalia would live. She at least would agree with me and Annabeth would inevitably join us. Moreover, it would give us one more chance to manipulate the prophecy.

I never thought I would feel the way I did when I saw Thalia. Not once in all those years did I think that she would rather kill me, but I did see the hurt in her eyes. I couldn't have just imagined it. Perhaps her pushing me over the cliffs had given me a rude shock. Perhaps seeing them trying to kill even Annabeth told me that the Titans would be even more unforgiving and cruel than the gods, but it was too late to go back. If Annabeth had joined me,I would have run again, but she didn't. I met her one last time before it all changed forever, and she said no. I knew then, whether or not victory awaited the titans, that would be the last I saw of her.

I went back to my mother one last time. I asked for her blessing. I knew I was being as cruel as Hermes, abandoning a woman who would wait with her sandwiches for a son who would never return, but there was no going back. The Styx burned at my very soul. Achilles warning I had tossed to the winds, and I chose the one place I knew no one would ever be able to hit. I thought of the promise I made to Annabeth and Thalia about always being a family. No matter what happened next, that would never change. Probably a broken family which in which we hated each other, but a family nonetheless.

When Kronos took over my body, I fought him. I wouldn't let him burn me away, and yet my power waned even as his grew. I watch now through Kronos' eyes as he pushed Ethan down to his death. As he hurt Annabeth. At that moment, he had unknowingly given me the power. That promise was the reason I hadn't burnt away. By hurting her, he had given me one last chance to defeat him and save my family. I looked over at Percy. He seemed to understand what I wanted and gave me the blade I had once gifted to Annabeth with that promise, and then, it all ended.

The pain was unimaginable. It was as though every fibre of my being was being charred from the inside out. It was only a small wound,yet it was fatal to me. I felt like I would explode into a million bits, and I knew the end had come. The job had been done.

"Good...blade" I said, though it came out like a croak. Annabeth was safe. Everyone else I knew had been saved. Ethan, me, we had all been driven to vengeance because we hadn't been recognized. Percy promised he wouldn't let it happen again, and for the sake of all that is good,I hope he keeps his promise. I ask one last question to ask Annabeth. I had to know. I had seen all the looks she had given me before I left Camp. She has always been my sister, but I must know before I leave forever.

"Annabeth...did you love me?"

No.

That was all I needed to hear before I left for the world of the dead. I had done so many things wrong, yet it hadn't been for my own greed. It wasn't that I hated those who had lived with me- I just loved my family more. The Great Prophecy had referred to me as a hero, yet only I, Luke Castellan, son of Hermes will know what it feels like to be a traitor.