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The feast blazed around them — a whirl of firelight, laughter, and the clatter of plates as campers drifted between the buffet tables lining the clearing. The bonfire at the center roared high enough to paint the treetops gold, sparks spiraling into the night like tiny meteors. Music drifted in and out of rhythm, someone tapping a beat on a shield while others shouted over each other, retelling the highlights of the fight as if they’d personally been in the arena.
Luke stood just outside the brightest ring of firelight, taking a quiet moment for himself. The adrenaline of earlier still clung to him, the weight of the day hovering just behind his eyes. He watched the crowd with a steady, thoughtful expression — not withdrawn, just catching his breath before stepping back into the noise.
Thalia’s voice cut through the hum of the feast before he even realized she was behind him.
“Luke… what was that out there?” Her voice was unsure, questioning rather than accusatory.
He turned sharply at the sound, surprise flickering across his face. His brows lifted just slightly — he hadn’t expected her to confront him, not here, not now. He drew in a breath, steadying himself, waiting for whatever came next.
“Since when do you—”
She gestured toward the arena behind them.
“—lean into all of this?”
He didn’t interrupt. He simply watched her, waiting.
“I thought you hated this,” she said, her voice tightening with hurt and disbelief. “I thought you wanted something else. You always said you did.”
“I know—”
She cut him off before he could say more.
“We used to talk about getting out. About a normal life. You remember that.” “That was… a long time ago. We were different then.” His voice was low, almost resigned, as if admitting something he’d already made peace with it.
The firelight caught the edge of his expression, and something in her chest twisted.
“I just…” Her voice softened, confused and aching. “I never thought you’d choose this. Not you.”
His jaw tightened — a small, telling shift.
“And what about you? You walked away first.” His tone sharpened, irritation threading through the words.
The change made her flinch.
“Luke, that’s not the same—” she protested, her voice cracking with frustration.
His composure cracked.
“You said you’d never join the Hunters. You said you’d never walk that road. And then you did.” The accusation came out raw, edged with hurt he’d never voiced before.
The words hit her like a blow.
“That was different. I had my reasons.” Her voice was defensive, but unsteady.
“And I have mine.” His reply was clipped, controlled, but simmering underneath.
A heavy pause settled between them, thick as smoke.
The feast behind them blurred into distant noise — laughter, music, the crackle of the bonfire — none of it reaching them anymore.
“So this is really what you want,” she said, disbelief thin and trembling in her voice.
“Yes.” His answer was immediate, unwavering.
“And nothing you can say will change my mind,” he added, his voice decisive, final.
Her breath hitched.
“And what about us?” she whispered, her voice shaking despite her effort to steady it.
Luke hesitated — the question hitting something deep, something he’d tried not to touch.
“Thalia… ‘us’ ended long before tonight.
It ended when I chose Kronos. And when you chose the Hunters.
We both walked away. Just in different directions.” His voice was melancholic, but with a quiet acceptance beneath it — the sound of someone who has finally stopped fighting the truth, even though it hurts.
She said nothing — stunned, hurting, trying to understand how they had gotten here.
“You chose your life. And I’m choosing this.” His tone was firm, but not unkind.
“I’m done running from who I am.
And I’m done pretending I want something else.” The words were steady, painfully honest.
The melancholy hollowed her out. She couldn’t speak.
“I’m sorry, Lia,” he said softly, the hurt evident in every syllable.
He turned and walked back toward the bonfire, never looking back.
The flames swallowed him in gold and shadow, the cheers rising around him as if nothing had happened at all.
Thalia remained where she stood, the night suddenly colder, the fire suddenly far away.