Chapter Twenty-Four

For a moment, Nico just stared. "What?"

"Luke's gone," Percy repeated for his half-sister.

Thalia had shifted her fiery gaze to the ground as Jason rubbed her back comfortingly.

Nico leaned against the wall, shocked at what he had just heard. Then, like a knife in the gut, the guilt hit him. He had heard someone last night, and the familiar voice was none other than Luke Castellan. He gulped and whispered in a daze, "I knew."

Unfortunately for him, Percy had good hearing. "What?"

Nico turned to his older brother nervously. "I-I heard something last night. I was still half-asleep but I managed to hear a faint sound. There was metal screeching and someone crying out. Only now do I realize that it was Luke."

Jason glared at Nico. Despite not being with the blonde lieutenant as long as the others, the prince turned gladiator recognized how important the lieutenant was to his sister. If there was one thing you couldn't doubt about Jason, it was his dedication to his sister. Before he could say anything however, he was cut off.

"And you didn't think to tell us this sooner?" growled an enraged Thalia. But Nico didn't retort. He wouldn't do that to her. Anyone could see that she was desperate and scared for her boyfriend. He didn't see why he needed to stir up more trouble with the spiky haired girl. However, Percy did.

"Relax Thals, it was the middle of the night," Percy reasoned. "You can't blame him. Honestly, if you had heard me would you have gotten up, even if you didn't recognize the voice? We all know how heavy a sleeper you are."

Nico gaped at Percy. Did he want to die?

Thalia lunged at Percy and began punching him. Nico moved to help his brother but Jason held him back, obviously not wanting his new half-brother to die. About a minute later, Thalia's swings slowed and she stopped, looking down at the bloodied face of her half-brother. Percy didn't react however. It was obvious that his nose was broken and yet he continued to stare blankly up at the wild eyed girl.

Thalia looked down at her bloodied hands and then around the courtyard. The gladiators were staring at her, some in horror, others respect. Thalia quickly got up off of the bleeding boy and wiped her hands on her tunic. She looked down at Percy, her breathing slowed. She squeezed her eyes shut, calming herself. Then she offered a hand and the green eyed boy gladly took it.

"I'm sorry Thals," he said.

Thalia glared but lost it to a sigh. "I'm sorry too Perce."

Jason and Nico let out a breath they didn't realize they were holding in. The dark haired boy leaned over to the blonde. "Remind me not to get on her bad side," he whispered.

"No kidding," Jason replied.

Percy rolled his eyes. "You guys have the whispering capabilities of my grandpa."

"You mean Emperor Antoninus?"

Percy growled and turned back to the smirking Thalia. "You broke my nose."

"Here, I'll set it," she said, stepping towards him.

Percy's eyes widened and he quickly stepped away. "No way! With my luck you'll probably snap the whole thing off!"

She rolled her eyes. "Wimp."

"Idiot."

"You need to go to preschool you're so stupid."

"Oh yeah, well you need anger management ASAP."

"Do not!"

"De Nile's not just a river in Africa."

"You did not just-"

"I just did."

"Do you want me to hit you again?"

"But my nose is broken!"

"And I'll break it again!"

"But it's still broken!"

"Crybaby."

"Oh stuff it up your podex!"

A crack broke through the air and a red, hand-shaped mark appeared on Percy's cheek. Thalia shook her hand, smirking. Before she could hit him again however, Nico stepped in between them. Jason's eyes widened at Nico's bravery. "Thalia stop!"

Thalia looked like she wanted to hit him too but Nico held his ground. "Do you honestly think Luke would want us to fight like idiots?"

Thalia's glare softened and Percy ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, geez guys. Thalia, you got to get your anger under control and Percy, could at least try to be logical today, cause right now, it seems like you got a nice dose of stupid," Nico said bluntly.

Both siblings glared at the smaller boy while Jason nodded in grudging respect.

Then Percy sighed. "You're right Nico. Luke could be getting tor-" A look of warning from his brother told him not to mention what horrors could be happening to his friend. He coughed awkwardly and began again. "I mean, uh, we need to respect the situation and personally," he said, gesturing to himself, "I've been a total pain in the podex if you know what I mean."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, what we need to focus on is Luke."

"But what can we do? All we know is that Luke was taken," Jason pointed out.

"Think logically guys," Nico said. "Who exactly would have the power to do that and the initiative to take one of Percy's best friends?"

The four shared a look. "Triton."

Luke woke up with a pounding headache. It felt like a nail was being driven through the top of his skull and he made to rub the irritate spot but felt he couldn't. His hands were bound, and on top of that, so were his feet. He growled in irritation and the rubbing of the rope against his legs and wrists. He rolled over on the dusty ground and coughed. The dirt had risen up and found its way to his lungs.

Great, I'm hungry, bound, rolling around on the floor, and inhaling dirt, he thought.

He shifted on the ground and lifted his head. From his view from the floor, he could see he was in some stone chamber of some kind, the only light coming from a crack under a heavy wooden door. The floor was dirt so that meant he was either underground or on ground level.

He inched his way to the wall that was a few feet behind him and leaned against it. The chamber was empty except for the shackles that hung from the wall above him. In the corner, he could see a small, dark hole, most likely a mouse hole. He rested his head against the wall and groaned. Not the best start to a new day.

C'mon Castellan, how about some productive thinking? he taunted himself.

He tried to remember how he had gotten there. He remembered waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of his cell door opening. A guard had dragged him out and held him at sword point. He protested but was quickly muffled by another guard. There were no hopes for escape then. The guard that had muffled him then tied a blindfold around his head while the other kept his sword at the ready. He was marched through tunnels and at one point had entered an open space which may or may not have been outside. The fresh air signalled nature but then again, he could have been in the Colosseum.

Through more tunnels he went, up and down slopes and he lost track of where he was, despite his efforts to memorize the route. As they approached his cell, he remembered and pound of pain and his memories stopped there.

He growled and kicked the floor in frustration, creating a new cloud of dust. He was bored and after about an hour, he felt himself drift off to sleep.

A kick to the face was enough to wake up the blonde. Still bound and dirty, Luke opened his eyes groggily to the sight of three large men. The darkness of the cell and the opening of the door deeply contrasted and through the light let in through the door, Luke could see a cloaked figure.

His attention was drawn away from the mysterious person by the feeling of being yanked up onto his bound feet. Two of the men restrained Luke as the third cut the ropes wrapped around his wrist. Once his wrists were free, his hands were forced toward the shackles on the wall and he felt his feet slip on the dust ground. However, by then the shackles were locked and his head hit the wall with a painful conk. He moaned in pain and the men laughed.

He gritted his teeth. He would not show weakness to these vile cowards. He heard the snap of a whip as a guard unfurled it from his belt and he squeezed his eyes shut when the leather snapped across his back. More laughter. More strikes followed in succession and Luke's back felt like one bloody mass of pain. Sweat poured down his forehead and neck and whenever a drop touched a wound he would wince.

A guard held a torch and the door was closed. The whipping continued for another hour and Luke was on his knees, his arms raised high above him. It was excruciating. The movement of his arms above his head creased his back, making the wounds all the more painful. Some wounds were deeper than others. Places where the torturer had whipped at the same spot. Finally, it ended. The men unshackled him and left. A bowl of water and a piece of hardened bread were kicked into the cell and Luke moved carefully towards the food he so desperately needed. It honestly felt like his stomach was eating itself. The whippings hadn't helped either, the energy spent on staying conscious ebbed at his hunger.

After eating a part of the bread and drinking some water, because gods know when he would be given food again, he laid on his stomach, concentrating on what made him happy to defend him against the pain. Thalia, Percy, even Nico and Jason. Happiness, and the blonde drifted off to sleep with a weary smile on his face.

Author's Note: Sorry for not updating as quickly as usual. Basketball tryouts were this week not to mention my Winter Concert on Tuesday and my Science Fair Project due date. So, thanks for sticking with me and reading and reviewing. As usual, please review. Peace out.