Chapter Text
Luke knows that he's lucky to have survived Kronos, and that Camp Half-Blood was even willing to keep him and rehabilitate him. Perhaps he was even luckier that the gods had decided not to kill him brutally and/or send him to the Fields of Punishment for the rest of eternity.
Even now, he was in mild disbelief after he'd been informed he was moving to Camp Jupiter so that he could supposedly do his reformation-years there in the city. For good behavior, he was even getting the chance to go to college.
There were so many people he had to be grateful to. A part of him, still angry and which seemed like it would never calm, hated it. Another part of him, the ashamed and guilty part, just felt utterly blessed.
Luke took his bags and looked out at the rest of Camp. His forever home..except he wouldn't have to stay there forever.
"You ready to go?" Percy asked, sounding and appearing friendly despite Luke catching him thumbing the cap of Riptide.
Luke didn't blame the kid. After everything he'd done..it only made sense to be wary. He took a deep breath of fresh air, and then stepped into the bus with the son of Poseidon.
Luke was dropped off at the airport, where Percy was staring at the airplanes with a clear look of dismay. On the other hand, there was another camper waiting for the two; a blond with glasses and a little scar crossing over his lips. He smiled brightly over at the two, eyes lingering on Luke for no more than a few moments before embracing Percy in a hug.
The two chatted for a bit, clearly glad to see each other (and with a concerning amount of bro 's said) while Luke awkwardly held his backpack and luggage.
Then the blond turned to him, extending a hand.
And, oh. Seeing his blue eyes, Luke knew instantly: this was Jason Grace, Thalia's brother who had been alive all this time.
For a moment he remembered the uncomfortably mournful tone of Thalia's voice when she'd mentioned Jason: the pure and utter grief in her eyes for her baby brother. My little star, she would say.
He's not entirely sure how he feels about meeting her little brother now, especially in these circumstances. Nonetheless, Luke shook his hand with a firm grip, giving a slight smile.
(He was somewhat concerned that if he used his charming-smile again, he would probably get accused of attempting some form of manipulation as he did in the beginning of his punishment.)
"I'll be taking you along for the flight," Jason said, "I'm Jason Grace, by the way. You knew my sister?"
"Yup," Luke said, smiling a bit wider, "You seem a lot nicer than she is."
"She's always been a bit more electric," Jason said good-naturedly, "Let's make sure not to miss our flight."
"I'll be going 'round on boat," Percy explained, "It's always easier that way."
"This is where you'll stay. You're still under supervision, and you've got to meet with a Praetor every week along with keeping up with therapy, but you'll be allowed a lot more freedom here. While you need to stay in the city of New Rome, you'll basically be allowed to roam wherever you want while attending college," Jason explained.
Luke was quiet, taking in the dorm. It was nice: a bedroom, a bathroom, a shared kitchen and living space- and it was his.
"Also, you're on the same floor as some ex-praetors- hence the kitchen and all, partially because of concerns and also 'cause we figured you'd prefer some more privacy."
"..Wow," Luke said, legitimately at a loss for words.
He'd been treated with hostility when he was brought back to Camp Half-Blood; the others still wounded from his betrayal. While they cared for him, they also couldn't quite forgive him.
And he knew that many would have died because of him if not for..certain circumstances.
--
Luke rushed to apologize to the poor person he'd run into before looking into their eyes and recognizing the flashes of pink against dark irises. Their dark pink hair was much shorter, going from something that easily reached their legs into a layered bob of sorts, but..
"...Kai?"
His eyes immediately found the scar around their neck; a thin strip across the front. He suddenly had the image of them bleeding out at the neck, unable to speak but staring at him with emotions unidentifiable except for the seething rage and heartbreaking betrayal in their eyes.
He stumbled backwards, at a loss and feeling raw and broken again. Like the steady foundation he'd found for himself was suddenly cracked into pieces and he was going to fall once more. This wasn't..he didn't know-
Luke hadn't known where Kai had gone after everything.
But they were here. As beautiful as they always had been, child of a love god they were. A strong jawline, sharp eyes, golden brown skin, and those lips that when pulled into a smirk were all too tempting.
Gods, Luke didn't want to think about it all over again, because Kai had always been a weak point for him. There were so many ways he'd betrayed everybody, but Kai had probably been the worst.
After all, he'd been dating them when he betrayed Camp Half-Blood for Kronos.