Salle; Thursday Afternoon

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

Luke had been putting in extra effort to spend more time in the salle since his cousins had showed up, and so far he was doing a pretty good job of it. He was still not training as hard as he had at Camp Half Blood, but most of that had been due to boredom more than anything else. He felt spending a couple times a week here was still pretty good. He could still beat Percy, which was really all that mattered at the moment.

He was allowed to be petty, dammit.

He had no specific training goal while he was in the salle today, other than alleviating boredom and restlessness. Luke was just randomly slashing at dummies without much skill, doing nothing more than working up a sweat and tiring himself out.

[The salle is open, of course]

Comments

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Annabeth's a fan club of one," Percy said, snickering. "You were okay with getting your butt handed to you by a girl?"

He was smiling so Percy felt comfortable teasing a bit.

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"I don't mind getting beaten by people who've earned it," he said. Luke didn't add that he felt Percy didn't deserve to beat him, but he didn't think he really had to.

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

Luke didn't need to add that because Percy could read the implication in that. He didn't immediately start arguing though even if he did think he deserved to beat Luke.

And he planned on beating Luke too. Whether it be this Luke or not, one of them was going to get beat.

"You miss her? Thalia, I mean."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

Sure, Percy. Keep telling yourself that.

"Of course I do. She and Annabeth were the only family I had." Only family that wasn't crazy, anyway. "She shouldn't have died."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"From what I heard, she's not really dead. Not technically," Percy said, shrugging a shoulder. For all intents and purposes, Luke thought Thalia was gone but Percy knew she wasn't all the way dead.

She was just...a tree.

"Stranger things have happened than someone coming back from being a tree."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, it was just so generous of Zeus to turn her into a tree. Because, you know, helping her before it was too late was too much of an effort..."

Yes, he loved taking advantage of the gods being blind here.

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"He saved her from dying," Percy said weakly, shrugging. "At least he didn't let her die?"

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"He could have done more than that," Luke said, any trace of a good mood long gone. Good work, Percy. "You shouldn't defend him. It's not like he'll reward you for it."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"I'm not defending him, he doesn't like me anyway," Percy told him, shaking his head. He hadn't meant to piss Luke off again but it happened and he wasn't going to apologize. "I don't think Zeus likes anyone."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"None of the gods like anybody," he said. "We're just toys to them."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"My dad likes me," Percy said, shaking his head. He knew that. He knew that and he'd argue with Luke endlessly about it. "He told me so. And I think Apollo might like me."

Percy knew Apollo didn't hate him, at least. He almost mentioned that Luke's own father didn't seem to hate him either but wisely kept his mouth closed.

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Well isn't that just great for you," Luke said, fixing a glare on Percy. "I haven't had the same wonderful experience."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"You know, you can stop blaming me for being the cause of all your problems any day," Percy said, glaring back since it was so easy to do that. "I can't help what's happened to me, Luke."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Well I was in a perfectly good mood until you came in here," Luke pointed out. "Somehow I think if it were anyone else talking to me I'd still be okay."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, forgive me for asking you about Thalia, someone I don't know," he snapped, lying again but not caring about it. "Annabeth doesn't talk about her so I was curious."

Percy shook his head and shoved Riptide into his pocket before he even realized it was a pen again.

"And that's easy enough to solve," he added, still glaring. "See you later, Luke."

He didn't wait before turning around and stalking out of the salle, questioning his decision of even trying to act normal about Luke again.