A/N: Aaaand... we are back!
Sorry for going AWOL, but I had to deal with some stuff... Also I have been feeling quite the writer's block, its honestly a very sucky feeling.
Anyhow, it's good to be back!
[Blood Diary Entry]
Luke came a bit closer, a disarming smile on his face—though his heartbeat betrayed his nervousness. "I'm Luke Castellan, and the one who can't seem to keep her mouth shut is Thalia Grace." He said in a confident tone.
Thalia immediately snapped to attention, and it seemed as though she was going to protest and probably say something dumb again. But she went quiet when Luke turned to her and glared at her.
"A pleasure to meet you, Luke," then I turned my attention to Thalia again, making her shiver almost imperceptibly. "As for you… Stop trying to be a smartass and insult the people I care for and me, and we're golden. That simple enough for you?"
She nodded.
Rebekah clapped cheerfully. "Perfect! Now that that's settled, why don't you three tell us what a bunch of demigods are doing inside an abandoned building in the middle of Philadelphia?"
The trio's heads drooped a bit. Their faces became somber in a split second.
Rebekah tilted her head, and her expression turned into a confused one.
I chuckled. "Let me guess… and please do correct me if I'm wrong. The three of you either pissed off one god or another, or you're simply being hunted down because a god has some bone to pick with one of your divine parents." They all looked at me, surprisedly. "Door number one or number two?" I joked.
Annabeth giggled while Luke laughed amusedly. "Door number two, unfortunately."
I shrugged. "Figures."
Rebekah looked between the three. "So, what are you going to do?"
Luke looked towards the ceiling despondently. "There's a refuge in Long Island, made to train and keep demigods safe from being involved in divine games. If we reach it, we are safe," then he looked to his companions, "but I'm not sure if we are going to make it… The closer we get, the more and bigger monsters appear. We've managed till now, but it's wearing us down, slowly but surely."
Rebekah's expression became a mix of pity and rage.
"Do you guys want help?" I offered, making all three look at me.
"What do you mean?" Luke asked.
"We are already on our way to New York anyway; dropping you guys off shouldn't be that big of a problem." I looked at Rebekah. "Would it?"
She shook her head. "Not really a problem per se, it's just that one of them would have to sit in someone's lap, since we wouldn't have enough seats otherwise."
Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Correct me if I'm wrong, princess, but cars usually have five seats, and surprise, surprise… we are five people in total."
Luke looked at her with a tired expression, probably second-guessing his life choices. "Stop being an asshole, Thalia. They are trying to help, if you haven't already noticed."
"We don't need any help." She shot back.
"Of course we do!" Luke shouted. "If we keep going by ourselves, we are only going to end up dead. And I don't know about you, but I'm not keen on visiting the Underworld so soon."
"I- I…"
He scoffed. "Yeah, yeah, I know, you weren't thinking. Like you always do. Spear first, questions later." Frustration oozed from his words and his tone—not that I blamed him. "If these two were any less friendly, we would have died, and it would've been YOUR fault. And even then, you kept provoking them for Olympus knows what. Putting not only your life at risk, but also Annabeth's and mine as well."
Thalia stared at the ground, her hair covering whatever expression she was making, but her shaky shoulders were enough of a giveaway to her current emotional state.
"You're very like your own father when it comes to your overinflated ego, and the constant need to appear like the biggest person in the room." He screamed in sheer frustration.
Annabeth recoiled a bit, tears threatening to spill. I guess seeing her greatest friends fighting like that wasn't something she enjoyed.
I put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "That's enough. I think she got the message."
He scoffed. "Does she?" He tried pushing my hand off, but when I didn't release and pointed towards Thalia, he appeared to have calmed down a bit.
He woke up from his enraged state and noticed Thalia, who by now looked like she only wanted to disappear. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said that. I know you don't like being compared to him." Luke said guiltily.
Thalia shook her head. "No, you were right. I'm behaving like that son of a bitch. And I hate that…" She looked at him; her expression was somewhat strange. "Promise me that every time I start acting like that, you'll call me out. The last thing I want is to become him."
Luke sighed but ended up nodding anyway.
Thalia then turned to Rebekah and me. "I apologize for what I said; it was entirely inappropriate and rude. I'm sorry."
I looked at Rebekah, indicating I was leaving the choice to her.
She studied Thalia for a couple of seconds before shrugging. "I don't care much for what you think or say, if I'm being honest. I couldn't care less about you. But I appreciate the apology anyway."
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
'This is going to be a pain in the ass, isn't it?'
"Does your offer still stand?" Luke asked.
"Hm?" I tilted my head.
"The offer to take us to Long Island."
"Sure, why wouldn't it be?"
He pointed at Thalia.
I waved my hand dismissively. "She apologized, so that's it. Also… I wouldn't want to carry the weight of your possible deaths if I could have avoided it."
"Rather noble of you." He chuckled.
"Right? I'm the most cavalier gentleman you shall ever come across."
He raised a fist, smiling. "Thanks, man."
I bumped my fist into his. "No problem."
"Now let's get out of this dusty building, shall we?" Rebekah spoke.
"With pleasure." The punk girl replied and started walking away.
We all got down a torturous number of staircases. Well…torturous for anyone who isn't an untiring immortal being that is.
I smirked as I watched Thalia panting and sweating by the end of it.
After that, we all made our way towards the SUV, keen on getting back on the road.