If there was one thing that I had a love hate relationship with, it would be the dark. Sometimes it worked to your advantage, you couldn't see and they couldn't see. And if your crying they can't see your blotchy face and red eyes you desperately tried to cover in makeup. In the dark, things happen. Things that wouldn't be as fun in the light.

But then there was the hate side. When things were dark it really created an eerie setting, it was creepy. Dark things were deep and full of mixed hazy feelings. Darkness was like a mist that wrapped around your vision and suffocated your soul. Thats what it felt like being in hell.

We suddenly appeared, Zander's cold touch lingering on my arm. I instantly heard the metallic clang of metal hitting and my attention was averted to him. Luke. I gasped, stepping back against Zan's chest. I needed him for half-brotherly support, before I fell over. Luke was here, in front of me. Luke.

He looked mostly the same since I saw him last year, it had been a year. A year since I saw his face. A year since I touched him. A year since I looked at him. His sandy blonde hair looked a little singed, probably from Hades' fire. But his blue eyes still had fight in them, the same passion they did when he died.

"Stay here," Aira warning words echoed as she left to go save my dead ex-boyfriend's life. I knew I wouldn't of been much help, but if I had really wanted to help I could've. But I couldn't, I didn't know how to move I was frozen. Still in shock that me and Luke were only feet away.

Aira yelled, something along the lines of "I'm here to save your dead ass Luke!" as she interrupted his losing battle with the God of the Underworld. Her sword clanged against Hades' staff as Luke attempted to stab Hades in the foot. Why he went for the foot I couldn't figure out but I was still too shocked to think much of it.

Hade's took the foot stab more as something annoying then hindering, as he swung his his large staff at Luke's head, sending him flying back crashing into a large dark door. The girlfriend in me wanted to rush over to him, but the ex-girlfriend in me kept me spectating. Aira made a good doge, the staff almost blundering her own head. Somehow though, she had a got shot at Hades' chest, hitting it as ichor fell out. Hades fell right to his knee's swearing under his breath and looking up to my sister.

"Hey Hades, what have you been up to?" she sweetly taunted to the god.

Hades responded with a complimentary eye roll, "Protecting my wife from unruly ghosts...fighting little girls and losing...The usual." I smirked. Hades was always like that, and even know Aira just kicked his ass he still had a sense of humor in the situation.

Luke stood back up, walking over to us, but he did have a nasty lump on his head from the fight. "So...I do believe Tess has a few requests...but I'm personally done here. Have a good day." she turned to my half-brother, "Zander? Take me home?"

What? She couldn't just leave me here...leave me with Luke and Hades alone. I mean this just didn't look like a good situation to be in. Leaving your sister with her ex-boyfriend and the God of the Dead in hell. I really didn't want to be left alone here. But before I could turn to protest Zander and Aira had already turned into darkness and had shadow traveled away. Great.

I meekly looked to the man who I claimed I loved. And despite everything and all of the sh** I just went through the last year, I still loved him. I mean as much as I hated him from what happened, I loved him so so much. But I didn't want to attach myself because I knew I could be losing him in a few short minutes. I had to think of him as my ex. My ex boyfriend. He broke up with me. He killed himself.

But as soon as Luke and I had a moment to look at each other, we held each other's gaze. I looked at him, all gross from the fight and his attempt to sleep with Peresphone. He looked at me, in my sparkling bikini that reflected around the room. I probably looked the same like he remembered me, tall blonde skinny big boobs, but I knew I was a different person now. And if you looked hard at my face, it was plastered in fakeness so that I looked like the Tess I had always been. But you could see between the lines all of the pain I had chosen to ball up inside.

But Luke knew me better then anyone else, and it was like he could see right trough the expensive makeup. And he quickly walked to me, touching my face with his soft hands. Then he picked me up in a hug and twirling me around. We said nothing, and never let our lips touch. He gently set me down, and we just hugged for a moment. Counting seconds until we pulled away facing Hades who was smirking at us.

"Look at the lovebirds," He taunted, as we looked to each other, not even holding hands. We were still yet to speak any words, I didn't know what to say to him. I couldn't put in words how I felt right now, but my stomach was sinking like quicksand and the more I tried to fight the feelings the more it pulled me in.

"Shut up Hades," Luke said back with an eye roll sharply, crossing his arms.

Hade's eyes glimmered in a mix of amusement and hatred. "Watch it loverboy your lucky Aira was here to save your ass but she's not here anymore." he said sharply back. "So what's this Aira said about requests?" he asked turning to face me.

I bit my lip, hoping the makeup was staying on. Hoping Hades couldn't see right through me like Luke had. Luke reached for my hand, sending sparking up through my arms and to my body. He knew. He knew how broken I was, he knew something was off about me. He knew something in the past year had changed me.

I inhaled, exhaled. Then I mustered the most charming smile I could and faced Hades. "Well I want to ask you about Luke?"

Hades smirked, walking backwards until he was leaning against a black detailed pillar. He looked me up and down, and somehow I wasn't amused when he stared at my chest. But this was what I got for wearing nothing but a bikini to the Underworld. "Ok, shoot. This will be interesting."

I let go of Luke's hand quickly, I wouldn't get attached. I wouldn't. Because if Hades wouldn't listen then I would lose him again. "Luke tried to sleep with your wife right?" I asked him for a start.

"Yes you know the story," he said back with lack of interest.

"So it's safe to say you hate him?" I shrugged.

Hades snickered, "I hated your boyfriend before he came here, he stole my Helm of Darkness years ago. Trying to sleep with my wife just made it worse," he said to me, taking a long piercing glare to Luke. Luke stood his ground with a confident smirk, and I subtly hit Luke in the back hopefully so he got the message to stop acting like an ass.

"I'm just saying, I have an idea that means you never have to deal with him again," I started slowly.

Hade's smirked, "The only way I'll never see your boytoy again is if he never dies." He said back to me crossing his arms

I sighed, then I smirked because that was something I used to do, "Luke was a hero, he did save everyone. Without him Kronos would've taken over." I admitted, but it was hard to say out loud with both of their eyes carefully watching me. I used to love the attention, but my mind was screaming don't look at me.

"If you make him immortal, your repaying him for the sacrifice he made. And you never have to see him again." I knew it was a far fetch, gods usually didn't make people immortal. But I had to try, and I usually got what I wanted.

Hades considered it, his dark eyes gleaming. I couldn't tell if the were in amusement, anger, consideration. "Ok. I never have to deal with this jackass boyfriend of yours if I make him immortal. He'll never come to the underworld ever again, never touch my wife, never steal my stuff?"

Luke clenched his jaw, I could tell he wasn't a fan of all of the names Hades had fired at him. But I gave him a sharp look that told him to keep his mouth shut and let me talk. Hades looked to Luke amused, daring him to say something.

"Yes. He'll never bother you anymore." I said to Hades quickly, before Luke lost it. That was the thing, gods could grant immortality. Now I would've done it if I could, but I didn't know if cadets could. And if we could I had a feeling Zeus would rather keep us guessing.

Hades sighed, "I feel like I'll regret this, but I'm in no mood to argue. So just go." he said to us shaking his head. He turned to leave, not before giving me one last smirk. Then the giant black gate that I guess was a door was opened and Hades walked out, not looking back. I paused, Hades just left. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be celebrating a win or not. He just left us, thats it. I looked to Luke, who looked no different. We exchanged matching confused glances, wondering why he left and how we were to leave. I guess we were leaving. I looked in Hades' path, and he had left two tiny glowing pearls where he once was standing.

The two of us, still not talking or touching, walked over, and tentatively picked them up. I shrugged, not sure if this was what we were supposed to do or not, but at the same time we gently placed them back on the ground, under our feet, and crushed them. We were consumed in darkness, and smoke. Darkness wrapped itself around me, as I breathed it in, breathed it out. The little puffs intoxicating my senses. I tightened around me like a too hot blanket, and unraveled itself in an unsettling cackle. This was why few people escaped hell.

Light met my eyes, my pupils regaining normal size. The temperature regained normality, and my body went to feeling as normally cold as it did. I looked to Luke, who looked back to me. We were standing right on Half-Blood hill, where we had stood years before in our arrival to camp. I mean it was a little different we were being chased by some monster sent from the underworld, but the sentimental value was there. This was where the next phase of our lives had begun, where we had all made the choice to go separate ways. And on lucky days where stars were lined, we would occasionally cross paths. A place where a friend was lost, and a friend had come back. This was a place for beginnings and ends.

I kept staring at him, because I had to make sure he was real. That he was really there. And Luke kept looking at me, but I knew he was searching my eyes for what was killing me. Because anyone who knew me knew that I wasn't the same. I still wasn't sure what I was feeling, because I was just realising for a moment, that I was going to be able to keep him. And if I could keep him...then that would mean a lot. That would mean Luke was back from the dead, back forever. And him being back was the only gift I had ever wanted. And he had...promised he would make it up to me. My thoughts were interrupted by my waist being grabbed and lips forced on mine.

His lips touched mine, in a way they hadn't felt before. Maybe that's how they had always felt, it had been forever since I had been in his arms. His hands slipped in the jean pockets of the short shorts I was snuggly fitted in. My lips went to his face, just to touch him. Just to feel his skin. It was real. He was really here, and alive. It was Luke. The kisses tasted of sorrow, of need, of passion. They were not sweet, more sharp. They hit my senses, sending messages to my brain in 500 directions on what I was feeling. The kisses tasted of resentment. He had left me, for the worst year of my life. He broke my heart. He shattered it into pieces. But the kisses tasted of love, because I still loved him. Even if I didn't want to anymore, and hated myself for it, I still loved him, And now, I would be able to love him forever.

"I missed you, I thought of you every day," Luke said into my hair, moving his arms up my sides and out of my jeans. My arms slid down to his shoulders. They were still muscular, toned, strong, protective.

"Hmmm tell me more," I whispered back, that was all I said to him. I just needed to breathe.

Luke moved kissing my neck, "I pictured you, your face. Your laugh. Your touch. Everything." he said between kisses as we moved kissing deeper. I felt his feet go backwards so I followed forwards.

"What else?" I whispered to him urgently, I just needed to here his voice. I needed to here him talk to me.

"Everything about you, every second of every day. Hell is hell, there's hot girls there but their not you. Persephone couldn't hold a candle." He said even more with a smirk, kissing down to my collarbone.

I raised a plucked eyebrow, his eyes were glittering with desperation. Something they hadn't ever looked like. Only once had they been that desperate, right before he died. That night they were so blue, so sad, so in pain.

"Tess, I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry what I did, but I had to do this Tess. Deep down I hope you can forgive me."

I almost started shaking, I hadn't been able to relive that since almost a year ago. "Say something else to me, tell me something," I said quickly, I needed him to distract me from the memories. I wasn't strong enough to relive them again. I started to run my fingers urgently trough his unkept hair, I missed doing that.

Luke kissed me deeper, faster, harder. I started to forget. I forgot my name, where we were. "I had a lot of time to think, about us. About how stupid I am. How important you are to me." he said between a kiss, before he fell backwards and I fell onto him. Luke rolled me over, so he was on top putting his hands on the ground beside me holding himself up. Looking over me he bent down to kiss me, back on the lips, and softer. These kisses were light, airy, sweet. Luke stopped, planting on kiss on my nose. The first time he ever kissed me was on my nose.

"I love you Tess...I always have and I always do. Please don't be mad at me. And I promise I will make it up to you one day." He whispered to me, and I think I saw a few tears as he watched me cry into his chest again for a moment. Another moment I wouldn't get back.

"I'm so sorry. For dying, for the stupid war, for leaving you. For not telling you. Look I never wanted to leave you and you know that." he said to me seriously.

"I...I know" was pathetically all I could quietly say back.

"And I promised I would make it up to you didn't I?" He said to me looking at me with a raised eyebrow. All I could do now was nod my head looking up at him. "And you trust me?"

Yes? No? I don't know? I don't know anything anymore. Luke sighed, and looked down at me seriously again. "Listen to me, Tess look at me." he said peering down making sure I was looking, "I love you. I did before I died and I still do. I promised I would make it up, and now I'm back. I know your upset, you can be upset. But I want you to know I'm still here for you. I never forgot you."

I paused, taking a breath. Then I did what any girl would do after a guy said that to them. I leaned my body up, and met my lips to his. "I love you," I said to him quietly, before kissing him again. And again and again. Luke picked me up, bridal style, our lips never unlocking. There was secrets between them, and only the two of us held the key to break our lips. Neither of us would break it.

I swore a year ago, I never wanted to hear the word promise ever again. I said that all promises were lies. But maybe, I just needed to learn to trust. Trust. I had been hurt by love, battered down by fate, and I still held a grudge. But there was no way I would never love again. I couldn't keep myself from him, from us. Luke promised that he would be there for me. He promised to make it up. Love was not a lie, it was just a journey. Fairytale endings were only for the ones who believed in them. I was broken, and Luke was going to get my heart back together.

I'm sorry I didn't trust you

I'm sorry I didn't listen to you

I'm sorry I let the war happen

I'm sorry I gave you the ok

I'm sorry I blamed you for saving everyone

I'm sorry I gave up on love

But your back, and now that you are. I promise, that I will never leave you again. I'll trust you, I'll listen to you. I'll only support your good choices. I won't blame you for things I did, or things you did. I won't resent you, I won't give up. I promise, now that I'll be able to spend forever with you, that I'll hold up my side. Fights, cheating, people. Death. Nothing will break us anymore. Count as high as you can, for as long as you can. But we'll be longer then that, higher then that, stronger then that. The highest number you can get to is infinity, and our love will be just that. Infinite.

I hope you enjoyed Promises. I had a ton of fun writing it. Anyways I'm not sure what I will write about Tess from on now but I think I will post another story in the future. In the meantime you can read my poem Locked, that takes place right after this ends. Anyways thanks for reading to the end. I hope you loved it. You can also check out my other story Promises about another OC Blake, if you llke this I think you'll like it. its less sad. Please leave a review. Tell me if you like this, and I'll post the sequel.

~xoxo Queenbee19