teenage dirtbag, baby! | luke castellan
pairing: luke castellan x fem!reader
summary: there is nothing more exhausting than being known as the picture perfect daughter of aphrodite⊠luckily, camp half-bloodâs resident teenage dirtbag luke castellan canât relate at all. fake dating him to piss off your siblings and mother could never go wrong, right? (based on 18 by anarbor)
wc: 6.5k
warnings: smoking, mentions of drinking, mentions of drugs, mentions of sex, implied sexual content, drew tanaka being a bitch, and kinda ooc luke bcs hes meant to be well ⊠a teenage dirtbag.
a/n: its still valentineâs day for me sooo happy valentines đđ !! in mexico valentineâs day is also known as the day of friendship so this one is dedicated to my favorite people ever: @emiliehornby @love-that-we-were-in and @kestisvrse <3 !! hope you enjoy it mwah !!
The sounds of campers laughing and gossiping in the dining pavilion are drowned out by your siblings and their annoyingly loud whispers about the allegedly cute (youâd beg to differ) son of Ares who joined camp less than twelve hours ago. Sure, he seemed like a nice guy even though he's a child of the god of war, but you were certain the only reason they kept bringing him up was because they wanted to set you up with him.
âAnd his arms, oh my gods! Have you seen them?â one of your brothers chimed in, trying to get you to agree with him, but all you could come up with was a hum and a polite smile.Â
It pissed you off a bit, the knowledge of you never being able to go against your siblings' wishes.. the fear of disappointing them and your mother being all-consuming and blinding you with fear.
There were times youâd think about it if youâre being honest. Times where you would let yourself dream of doing something so stupidly reckless for once. Something that would stop your siblings from walking all over you and treating you like their personal lapdog.Â
Not only was it tiring but it was also humiliating to a certain point. You were older than most of them and you were pretty sure you were the only one that took being a demigod seriously, even taking your time to strategize for Capture The Flag with Clarisse, and yet⊠you rejected Chiron when he asked you to be a counselor and told him to ask Silena instead.Â
And you loved your familyâyou really did, but it was getting exhausting. Always having to be perfect was draining you and you were afraid of the kind of person youâd become if you allowed this to keep going.Â
âHe totally wants to ask you out,â Silenaâs voice snapped you out of the daze you were trapped in. You turned your head to the right, facing your half-sister with a small frown on your face.
âYou really think so?â you replied, trying your best to sound excited.Â
âOh, I know so,â she answered before going on a whole rant about how cute youâd look with the newly claimed son of Ares. A son of Aresâthat you badly wanted to remind herâhad only been in camp for less than twelve hours and you knew nothing about.Â
You stayed in the dining pavilion with your siblings until you found the strength to tell them you were tired and wanted to go to sleep (an incredibly blatant lie but it didnât look like they cared) and stood up, brushing the dust off your jeans.
âWait, Iâll go with you!â Silena said with a smile, standing up and moving closer to you.Â
âYou donât have to. You can stay with them if you want to, reallyââ you were cut off by your half-sister with an exasperated sigh.
âI want to go with you. Plus, I can walk back here once I drop you off at the cabin,â she stated with a playful roll of her eyes.
The two of you walked back to the Aphrodite cabin in a comfortable silence. You liked being with Silena, she was a few years younger than you but she carried herself with so much grace and love it was hard to feel uncomfortable or weird whenever you hung out with her.
You kept your gaze on the sky, noticing that the moon was out by now. âHey,â Silena whispered, trying to get your attention.
âYou okay?â you answered. Your mind was practically hardwired to always look after your siblings, so your brain was unwillingly making you think of the worst-case scenario.
âWhat? Yeah, I am okay,â Silena was quick to reassure you, âI just wanted to talk to you aboutââ
âI swear to all the gods, Silena. If this is about that camper..â you replied with a small sigh. The two of you stopped walking when you reached your cabin, deciding to continue the conversation outside.
âHeâs not that bad! He is a nice guy and the two of you would look really cute together,â she insisted.
âYou donât even know him.â
âUgh, fine. Good thing is there are other cute campers we can introduce you to. I met one of Charlieâs brothers a few weeks ago and I think heâdââ
âI canât do this tonight,â you replied in an exhausted tone.
âWow, okay. No need to be mean about it,â Silena muttered.
âIâm sorry?â
âIâve been trying to help you find a boyfriend for months now and you always shut me down. It was fine at first but now youâre just being mean,â she explained.
âMean? Silena, you said it yourself. Iâve always shut you down because Iâm not interested in getting one.â
âWhatever,â she replied bitterly before turning around and walking back to the dining pavilion, leaving you alone outside of your cabin.Â
You stared at her back as she walked away, going through the last few minutes over and over in your head. Were you being mean? All you did was stick up for yourself. You didnât understand why you were feeling bad for standing up against your siblings just for once.
A snort made you realize you werenât alone. You turned your head towards the noise just to be met with.. oh.
Luke Castellan was leaning against the side of your cabin, carefully hidden under the darkness of the night and the shadows of the trees, he had a cigarette in his right hand and an obnoxious smirk adorning his even more obnoxious face.Â
âHope you enjoyed the show, Castellan.â
Luke raised his hands as if he had been caught and blew the smoke away, âIâm on your side, she was being a fucking bitch.â
âDonât call her that, sheâs just a kid.â
Luke raised a brow before taking another drag of his cigarette, âDo not call your sister a bitch after seeing her.. be a bitch to you?â he shook his head. âOh, princess, you need to work on getting rid of that altruism.â
âDo you even know what that word means?â you snapped, not being in the mood to indulge in whatever it was he wanted to talk about.
âWhy? You want to teach me?â He said with a smirk.
âDonât even start with your annoying stuff, Castellan,â you muttered, running a hand down your face, clearly overwhelmed with everything that had happened.Â
âBecause you know you wonât want me to stop?â he pressed, but after a moment of silence his smirk fell and a frown took over his features.Â
âUh.. you want to...â he trailed off and cleared his throat, âyou want to talk about it or something?âÂ
You squinted at him before eventually letting out a sigh and walking over to Luke, standing next to him with your back pressed against the wooden walls of your cabin. Luke extended his arm away from you to keep the smoke far from your face.Â
âSo, um... Silena wants to set me up with that new camper,â you started.
âFuck. The Ares one?â Luke interrupted.
âCastellan.â
âRight, sorry. Please continue, princess.â
You decided to ignore the insufferable pet name he gave you and continued, âThe thing is I do want a boyfriend, just not⊠him.â
Luke hummed before bringing the cigarette to his lips again and inhaling the smoke in, he kept his mouth closed as he thought of something decent to say before slightly tilting his head away from you and blowing out the smoke upwards.Â
âAlright, and have you tried telling her to stop?â he cut himself off and shook his head. âNope that was shitty advice, have you tried maybe describing your type or whatever it is you Aphrodite people say to describe the people youâre attracted to.âÂ
âMy type?â you replied, almost offended by the statement.
âYeah?â Luke answered as if it was the most obvious thing to do, âJust describe the type of guys youâre into and Iâm sure that cult of yours you like to call siblings will be happy to helpâŠâ he trailed off when he noticed your gaze set on his right hand and your bottom lip in between your teeth as he flicked the cigarette, causing the ashes to fall into the ground.Â
He looked up from his hand and burst out into laughter, shaking his head before whispering an amused fuck.Â
âOh?â Luke said with a bright smile and raised brows, âYou find this attractive, angel?âÂ
âThat thing is going to kill you,â you explained, âIâm not attracted to people that like to slowly kill themselves.âÂ
âFucking bummer. I wanted to see you take a drag, that wouldâve been really hot,â he said, his smile not wavering. âNext thing youâre going to tell me is that you donât drink, right?â
âNo, I donât.â
âLook at you, being such a good girl,â Luke teased before throwing the rest of his cigarette to the ground and stepping on it.Â
âAlso, that thing you said about Silena being just a kid was really fucking stupid. Sheâs almost the same age as Annabeth and she doesnât act like an asshole, Iâm pretty sure your sweet little sister is just a bitch.âÂ
Annabeth. You forgot that even though Luke is an annoyance most of the time and prefers to stick to himself.. he still has a soft spot for the twelve year old daughter of Athena. It was kind of endearing.Â
âAnnabeth is a daughter of Athena, you canât expect her to actââ
âYou didnât act like Silena when you were fourteen. You need to stop giving her excuses and allow yourself to get mad at her.âÂ
âIâd rather have my siblings get mad at me and just stop perceiving me as this perfect and weak person, maybe once that happens theyâll stop trying to mess with my life,â you explained, your gaze set towards the ground.Â
Luke was about to open his mouth and try to come up with a funny one-liner to make you feel better, but he didnât get to because you were quick to look up at him with a gasp and wide eyes.
âThe fuck? Are you okay?âÂ
âI need you.â
âShit, angel. Most girls say that after a few dates but Iâm not against the idea,â he said with an amused look in his eyes.Â
âEw, no. I mean, I need to date youâfake date you.â
âIâm uh... not for sale?â Luke answered, clearly confused by the plan you were trying to explain.
âNo, Castellan. Listen to me. My siblings despise you, Iâm sure theyâd set my bed on fire as a way of cleansing my soul from you if they find out weâre dating.â
Lukeâs eyes got bright and his smile widened (if that was even possible), âSet your bed on fire? And what would we do in your bed for them to feel disgusted by its existence?â
âYouâre disgusting. Anyway, if we fake date Iâll get to stop being perceived as their perfect sister and youâll have bragging rights for dating an Aphrodite kid,â you said, moving your hands as you spoke.Â
âIâm pretty sure Drew started the rumors about me having lice and smuggling coke into camp, are you sure you want to fake date me of all people?â Luke asked carefully, trying to make you think about what was at stake. He didnât give a shit about staining his already nonexistent reputation, but he couldnât have you ruin yours.Â
âI am so sure, Castellan,â you reassured him.Â
âYou know, for a good girl Iâm extremely surprised you never say please.â
âPlease, Castellan. Could you please be my fake boyfriend so I can finally stop being seen as my siblings' personal toy?â you said with a fake smile while bringing your hands together as an exaggerated way of begging Luke to say yes.Â
âYouâre so cute when you beg. But you need to prove to me youâre serious about this fake dating thing. Meet me tomorrow at the bonfire, no bullshit.âÂ
ê°á â à»ê±
You had been on edge the entire day. Silena seemed to be past the argument, which made you feel better to an extent, but that didnât seem to shake the uneasy feeling that settled in your gut because throughout the day you could feel someone staring at you. You could feel Luke staring at you. Â
You were walking past the sword fighting arena with Katie Gardner from the Demeter Cabin the first time it happened. The feeling of a pair of eyes completely set on you. You turned your head to the right just to be met with Lukeâs exhausted figure, he was sweating and panting, but that didnât stop him from running his eyes up and down your figure and smiling at you.Â
To say Katie was disgusted would be an understatement. A âCastellan is a dick, you should stay away from him,â was enough to stop you from staring at him and turning your head back to Katie. She went on to explain how Luke was a âreal shitty personâ and only hooked up with her as a way of getting her to grow weed in the back of the stables.Â
It happened around eight times in the last two hours (not that you were counting) and it only got worse when the moon came up and everyone was making their way to the bonfire. You were walking next to Michael Yew when you felt a hand on your lower back.Â
Lukeâs hand on your lower back, to be exact. He left it there as he walked past you, only turning his head back to say âItâs adorable to see you together, are you two a couple?âÂ
You had to hold yourself back from strangling him when you heard his irritating laugh after he saw Michaelâs reaction to his statement. Michael tried his best to be polite and tell him he was wrong, that there was nothing going on between the two of you.Â
But his reply only seemed to fuel Lukeâs actions even more because all he did was answer with a cocky âOh, I know. Our princess here is only into... what was it? People that like to slowly kill themselves with cigarettes?â before walking away.
You were going to kill him.
Michael left your side as soon as you arrived, moving to sit with his siblings from the Apollo Cabin⊠leaving you with two choices: sitting with your siblings or sitting next to Luke (who for some reason always sat alone and spent the entire time listening to the music coming from the MP3 player he somehow managed to get into camp).Â
So this is what Luke meant, you thought. This was the only way you could prove to him and everyone that you were serious about dating himâfake dating himâbut it's not like they would ever know the truth.
You dragged your feet as you walked towards Luke, clearly having second thoughts about your plan, but there was no turning back now. You tried to ignore the confused look Drew was giving you and the gasps you could hear coming from your siblings.Â
âIâm pretty sure Drew started the rumors about me having lice and smuggling coke into camp, are you sure you want to fake date me of all people?â You weren't so sure anymore but that didnât stop you from taking a seat next to Luke Castellan, who took one of his earphones off and looked at you with a smile.Â
âHappy now? I just proved how serious I am about this,â you whispered to him, trying your best to not let anyone hear you.
Luke nodded before saying, âYou couldâve done better, but Iâll take it.â
âDone better? I just sat next to you in front of the entire camp, isnât this good enough for you?â you asked, indignation evident in your tone.Â
âPromise not to beat me up?â Luke said before pulling your arm and manhandling your body so you were on top of him, sitting on his lap. He placed his hands on your hips and looked up at you with stars in his eyes.
âWow, Castellan. How scandalous, Iâm sitting on your lap,â you deadpanned.Â
He chuckled, bringing you closer to him and pressing his lips against yours. Lukeâs hands felt like fire against your skin, all you could feel was a heat taking all over your body as he continued to kiss you, only pulling away to catch his breath before bringing you in for another one, this time he kissed you deeper and faster.Â
Luke dragged you closer to him by pressing your hips against his and all you could do was melt into him and the feeling of his lips against yours. In the distance, you could hear gasps and people gagging, and you were pretty sure the campers from the Ares Cabin were cheering and whistling, but all your thoughts were on Luke Castellan and how good of a kisser he is.
You pulled away first this time, trying to steady your breathing as you looked into his eyes. He licked his lips before whispering âWe should go.â
Your eyes widened as soon as he said that, the implications of what the sentence meant making you feel nervous. Luke was quick to reassure you, âIf we leave, your siblings will be even more outraged. We donât have to do anything, but theyâll think we are doingâŠsome stuff. Just come to the woods with me for a little while.âÂ
You nodded and grabbed his hand as he guided you through the woods. You could hear Silena calling out your name and warning you about the consequences of your actions, but her voice was drowned out by the loud cheers coming from Clarisse.
Once the two of you were far enough from the rest of the campers, Luke let go of your hand and sat down by the lake, nodding his head as a way of asking you to join him.
You sat in silence for a few minutes until Luke spoke first. âHow long do you think we should keep this thing up?â
âValentina and Drew will want us to be over by tonight,â you said with a smile, a laugh escaping your lips. You didnât notice how Lukeâs eyes got brighter when he heard your laugh or how the melody that came out of your lips went straight through his heart and made him feel more alive.
âBut I think a week should be enough. We can say weâve been secretly dating for like... five months? That way it wonât be weird if we break up in a week,â you explained while your fingers played with your camp necklace.Â
Luke nodded before going silent again, staring at the lake with a look you couldnât quite comprehend. Your gaze was set on him, your eyes traveling from his toned arms, all the way to the scar that sat right below his right eye.Â
âI know itâs awful, I can feel you staring at it,â he murmured. You could physically feel your heart sinking when he said it. You cleared your throat, âNo, I⊠I think itâs beautiful. I think youâreââ Luke turned his head to face you, an inquisitive look in his eyes. âI think youâre really brave, Luke.âÂ
âBeautiful?â Luke asked, confusion written all over his face. âYou should hear what your siblings say about it, then. Iâm sure your opinion would change in a second.âÂ
âBeing an Aphrodite kid means you see beauty everywhere,â you explained, âAnd I think your scar must be the most beautiful thing Iâve ever seen.â Luke stared at you with an unreadable expression, making your heart almost beat out of your chest.Â
âAre you flirting with me, angel?â
âOf course, youâd ruin the moment. Screw you, man.â You rolled your eyes.Â
Luke threw his head back in a fit of laughter, it made you want to strangle him⊠again. âDid you just say screw you? Gods, princess, saying fuck wonât kill you.âÂ
âI donât like to curse, thank you for pointing it out, Castellan,â you said, playfully shoving him, making him fake a gasp.Â
âYou went from trying to seduce me to trying to kill me, youâre so interesting, angel,â he said before letting out a sigh. âIt, uh⊠It was really hard at first, getting used to the scar.â
âHaving people call it all sorts of names, and looking at me with nothing but pity in their eyes was not easy to get used to. But after some time you just⊠stop caring. I mean, Iâm not that big of an asshole to hold a grudge over a fucking scar, it even looks sick. But yeah, when it gets hard again all I can do is snort a line and move on.
âThe coke smuggling was real?â you gasped, only focusing on the last sentence he said. Luke tried to keep a straight face but his facade fell the moment he noticed your wide eyes. Luke Castellan has the type of laugh that makes everything get fuzzy and makes you feel lightheaded, and all you wanted to do was to come up with bad jokes just for the sole reason of hearing him do it again.Â
âFuck, you really believe anything, huh?â
âShut up, Castellan. Iâll literally stab you and let you slowly bleed to death,â you threatened, standing up from your place next to him. Luke followed you as you walked back to the cabins.
âYou do know Iâm the best swordsman in the last 300 years, right? Do you even know how to wield a sword?â he asked, matching your pace and walking next to you.Â
âLow blow, just because I donât like to indulge in violence it doesnât mean I donât know how to wield a sword,â you retorted.Â
Luke snorted a laugh, âYou donât know, do you?â
âNo, I donât. Will you shut up now?â
âI only will if you accept to let me teach you how to fight tomorrow,â Luke said with a tilt to his head. He didnât even give you a chance to answer because he walked away from you while saying a loud âMeet me tomorrow morning in the sword fighting arena.âÂ
ê°á â à»ê±
You were sure you were seconds away from passing out. It's been around two hours of sparring with Luke and your arms and legs were about to give out. The sun was starting to come out, which meant this torture was nearly over. At least thatâs what Luke promised. âWeâll stop as soon as the other campers wake up, that way you wonât have to be embarrassed if they see your⊠skills.â
The two of you circled each other, your swords were raised and Lukeâs blade was pointing straight at you. Luke took a second to study your stance before lunging forward, his sword meeting yours as you quickly blocked his attack. âNot too bad, huh?â Luke teased before trying to get another hit, his moves becoming more calculated the longer you kept blocking his advances. Proving he wasnât called the best swordsman at camp for nothing.Â
With a disarming maneuver you werenât aware of, Luke was quick to throw your sword to the ground and have you stumbling back, not being able to regain your footing. Luke gave you a smirk when your body hit the ground with a small thud, âThat was easy,â he said, âWe should do this more often.âÂ
âNope, this is a one-time thing, Castellan,â Luke rolled his eyes before bringing the blade of his sword closer to you, reaching for your chin with a glint in his eyes. The blade met your chin and Luke lifted it, making you meet his gaze as he slowly made you stand up by raising his sword even higher.Â
The two of you stood still, staring intently into each otherâs eyes until you heard itâthe sound of the Ares Cabin making their way to the arena. Luke let out a surprised shit, dropped his sword to the ground, and walked closer to you, cupping your jaw with his right hand and kissing you.Â
Your lips met in a hurried collision, causing the same fire from yesterday to set in your stomach. Your hands moved to Lukeâs hair, softly pulling it as the kiss got heated. You knew this was fake, you knew this kiss meant nothing to him⊠but you didnât want him to stop. âHoly fuck, are you two always sucking each otherâs faces?â Clarisseâs voice cut through the moment, causing you to pull away from Luke, unable to meet his gaze.Â
âYeah, thatâs what being in a relationship entails. I donât think youâd know much about it, La Rue,â Luke breathes out.
âDonât you have weed to sell or a cheap bottle of vodka to down, Castellan?âÂ
âAw, you know me so well,â Luke answered before picking up both of your swords and grabbing your hand, walking away from the arena.Â
The following days were (and you hated to admit it) filled with the most fun youâve ever had. Luke would come up with some insane idea for a fake date and it would always end with one of you lying about seeing a camper or hearing Silenaâs voice as an excuse to make out with each other.Â
There was this one time the two of you were having a picnic by the strawberry fields and the day ended with the two of you hiding in the empty forge while making out, running your hands over each otherâs bodies, and doing the normal stuff fake couples always do⊠it all happened because Luke swore he heard Valentinaâs voice near the fields. (You were sure Valentina had been on the stables that entire day because she had cleaning duty, but why wouldnât you play along with something you also wanted to do?) Â
It was Sundayâthe last day of your fake relationshipâwhen Silena finally found the guts to talk to you about Luke. You even felt slightly bad for the girl because she was so nervous when she sat next to you in the dining pavilion.Â
âI..um... I just wanted to say Iâm sorry,â she began, âWell, there are lots of things for me to apologize for, but I think itâs pretty obvious what the main problem is.âÂ
âThe way Iâve been treating you is not okay and Iâm really ashamed of it. You shouldnât have to feel pressured to be the person we want you to be, I used to see you as someone who couldnât do things on her own and always needed someone to push her and help her handle everything⊠and now I see I was wrong,â Silena explained, running a hand through her hair.Â
âItâs fine, Silena. I donât mind.â
âWell, I do. Youâre strong and more than capable of doing things on your own, and you donât need me to try and help you or fix you.â She took a deep breath. âI didn't know you were dating Luke, and to be honest I didnât even know he was your type. He is so⊠weird and I never wouldâve guessed you were dating. I mean, Drew told me he does cocaine andââ
âHe doesnât,â you interrupted.
Silena raised a brow before continuing, âAnyway, Iâm sorry if I ever made you feel bad for just... existing. And you always look so happy after hanging out with Luke, I truly hope the two of you stay together for a long time.âÂ
You didnât even know how to explain the situation so you just blurted out âI broke up with him.âÂ
Silena looked shocked for a few seconds before letting out a deep breath, âOh, thank the gods. Just because we trust you it doesnât mean we trust him,â she spat the him with so much disgust it made you feel sick. âYou deserve so much better.âÂ
ê°á â à»ê±
This is probably the first time you have ever felt ill at the thought of seeing Luke. Sure, you used to be annoyed by his presence before the whole fake dating situation even started, but at least you were a strange type of friends back then. Not really close but also not complete strangers. There were times youâd catch him hiding his secret stash of weed behind the stables and didnât tell anyone, and heâd always pay you back by lying to Chiron about you practicing your sword skills with him. (You had only used a sword once and it was years ago when you were still a new camper, you had no idea why Chiron would ever believe him.)
Luke was sitting in his usual spot by the lake, a cigarette in his hand. It had become a tradition for the two of you to always meet up by the lake before curfew to talk about your day and practice your kissing so it wouldnât look fake.Â
âHey,â you said, taking a seat next to him. Luke threw his cigarette to the ground, stepped on it, and almost instinctively wrapped an arm around your waist, kissing your temple. âBlink-182?â you asked, nodding at the MP3 he had on his lap.Â
âThe Smashing Pumpkins,â Luke answered, taking his earphones off. âMellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness is one of the best albums ever made.â
âI have no idea what youâre talking about, but Iâll take your word for it,â you said. Luke smiled and poked your side.Â
âSo, thereâs something I need to talk to you about,â you began, but Luke held up his hand as a way to get you to stop.
âCan I say something first?â he asked, looking shy for probably the first time since the day you met him.Â
You nodded and let him take the lead of the conversation. âAlright, so⊠Iâm kind of shit with words so Iâm sorry if this doesnât make any sense but this past week has probably been the best week of my life. And Iâm not even fucking around, I donât have many friendsâapart from Annabeth, and getting to be with you is the best thing that has ever happened to me.â
âBeing your friend is the greatest gift the gods have ever given me, and sometimes I feel like I donât even deserve it. Iâm a mess of a person, and youâre well⊠youâre you,â Luke stared deeply into your eyes, âAnd I just wanted to let you know thatââ
Luke didnât get to finish his sentence because this time it was you who cut him off with a kiss. You could taste the cigarette on his lips as he brought you closer to him, running a hand down your back and deepening the kiss before pulling away and moving to kiss your neck.Â
Luke began to trail kisses down your throat and only stopped to whisper a low âLook at you, what would Aphrodite say? Iâm sure sheâd be proud.â
Aphrodite.
You pushed him away the moment you remembered your mother. âSilena apologized. We can stop pretending now.â
Luke was silent and just stared at you, his fingers moving to fidget with the wire of his earphones. âOh, right,â he cleared his throat. âItâs Sunday, I forgot.â
You knew he didnât.
âYup, so we can go back to normal now,â you said, looking away from his eyes because you knew it would only take one look into them for you to kiss him again.
âGood,â Luke stood up, not daring to even shoot you a glance, and walked away. Leaving you alone by the lake with the lingering smell of his cheap stolen cologne mixed with the cigarette he was smoking.Â
It didnât help that you were welcomed into your cabin with hugs and your siblings congratulating you for breaking up with the son of Hermes. Sure, you werenât the perfect sister anymore because you dated Luke Friendless-Freak Castellan, but knowing they liked you just because you were with him and then broke his heart made you want to set the cabin on fire.Â
The main rule of the Aphrodite Cabin was something your siblings were extremely proud of, but the thought of its existence made you want to storm into Mount Olympus by yourself and yell at your mother for putting all these useless ideas into their heads.Â
For a child of Aphrodite to prove themselves, they must make someone fall in love with them and then break that someone's heart.Â
Is it possible for the rule to backfire? For the child of Aphrodite to accidentally fall in love with someone and then break their own heart because of it? You didnât even know if that was an option, but you were sure thatâs exactly what you were going through right now.Â
It was hard for you to go to sleep that night because your mind kept replaying the past week on a loop. Your conversation with Luke by your cabin. The night of the bonfire. The conversation by the lake about his scar. Sparring with him. Going on a million fake dates. The night on the forge. Your last conversation with him.Â
âLook at you, what would Aphrodite say? Iâm sure sheâd be proud.âÂ
ê°á â à»ê±
You could feel Luke staring at you. Again.Â
You were helping Annabeth strategize for Capture The Flag, because she had the brilliant idea to have the Athena cabin team up with Hermes and Aphrodite. You didnât know much about fighting and spent most of the time sitting with your sisters during the game, but that didnât mean you didnât enjoy helping them come up with new plans.Â
Once the three of you were done, Annabeth excused herself with an awkward âI think Malcolm wanted me to help him go through some maps. You two have fun⊠chatting!â and left as fast as she could, leaving you alone with Luke.Â
You watched her leave the amphitheater and turned around to face Luke, âI can see why you like her. Sheâs so much like you.â
âYeah, sheâs like my little sister.â
The silence was so uncomfortable you almost broke down crying. You nodded and turned around, not being strong enough to face him, and walked away. You could hear him behind you, following you.
âCan we talk?â he pleaded.
You were about to open your mouth when Drewâs voice made you turn your head. âGods, Castellan. Itâs so embarrassing to still be hung up on your ex.âÂ
Luke sighed, âHello to you too, Tanaka.âÂ
âCan you leave her alone? She doesnât want to talk to you,â Drew said through a fake smile.Â
âOh, really? Did she tell you that?â Luke answered, tilting his head as he spoke and making eye contact with you. Wordlessly begging you to please talk to him.Â
You stayed silent and looked away from him. Luke let out an incredulous laugh before nodding his head. âGood to know youâre back to being their little pet.âÂ
Drew rolled her eyes and walked away, shoving Luke as she walked past him. âSo? Youâre just not going to say anything?â Luke said.Â
âWhat do you want me to say, Castellan?âÂ
âTell me that last week didnât mean anything to you,â Luke answered, his voice trembling.Â
âWhy do you care? I thought I was nothing but Drewâs little pet,â you replied, trying your best to not look weak in front of him.
Luke ran a hand through his hair and stepped closer to you, âIâm sure youâre thinking the exact same thing about yourself.âÂ
You hated that he was right.
The truth made your blood boil. âI donât want any of your shit,â Luke let out a genuine laugh this time, a mocking look in his eyes. âOh, so now she can curse?âÂ
You hated him for seeing the real you. You hated him for knowing the truth. You hated yourself for loving him.
âFuck you, Castellan,â Luke hummed before stepping even closer to you and placing a hand on your waist, leaning to whisper in your ear. âIâm sure youâd love to do that again, right?â Lukeâs smell was taking all over your senses and making your knees go weak. He continued, âBecause even if we do it in the darkness of the Forge⊠it is still two friends fake dating because your mother might be watching.âÂ
You found the strength to press your hands against his chest and push him away, âDonât talk to me ever again.âÂ
You spent the rest of the day with your siblings and friends, too afraid to leave their side because you didnât trust yourself. Because you knew that if you were left alone for a secondâyouâd run straight to him.Â
You sat next to Silena in the dining pavilion. Helped Katie and the Dyonisus cabin grow more strawberries by keeping them company. Walked with Michael to the bonfire, and stayed with Drew throughout the entire singalong.Â
As always, Luke was sitting by himself, his MP3 player in his hand and his eyes were set on you.Â
You walked back to your cabin when the singalong was over and helped your siblings get ready for bed. You were about to go to sleep when Valentina whispered your name, saying she had something for you.
âWe found it last night under your bed, Drew wanted to give it to the harpies but I managed to take it away from her,â a frown made its way to your face.âWhat do you mean?â
âWe found this,â She pulled out a badly wrapped gift from under her pillows. You were confused until she told you to open it.
 It was a bright pink MP3 player.Â
âOh,â you whispered, your hands shook as you stared at it. âIâve got toââ
âItâs okay,â Valentina whispered. âHeâs probably by the lake.â
You gave your half-sister a hug before running out of your cabin, and making your way to the lake. You could see Lukeâs silhouette in the distance, and the sight only made you run faster.
You took a moment to catch your breath before saying, âThe Smashing Pumpkins?â
Luke turned around at the sound of your voice. âBlink-182â he answered with a small smirk.
âUh, of course,â you said as you walked closer to him. âAlright, listen. You were right.â
âTell me something I donât know.â
âOh, fuck off,â you continued with a smile. âSo, it turns out I may or may not be in love with this certain guy, and he may or may not be my type or whatever it is my siblings say.â
Luke took a step closer to you. âThereâs a chance this guy thinks Iâm going through a phase and only fake dated him to piss off my siblings and mother but the truth is⊠I donât even care about them whenever Iâm with him.âÂ
His hand moved to caress your cheek, âThatâs cute and all but how does this guy know you truly mean that?âÂ
âIâm not going to make out with him at the bonfire, so I guess all he needs to do is believe me,â you whispered, your eyes moving from Lukeâs eyes to his lips.
Luke smiled before answering, âBelieve you? Thatâs alright with me,â and pressing his lips to yours.
Luke was right. Aphrodite would be proud.Â
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