[ all luke hears are words that he's thought, once or twice, over the last few years. if things were different, maybe that nine year old kid never would've run from home, scared and confused and too angry for such a young boy to ever feel. he would change so much, just to experience something he had been striving for since the moment he had located the word on the tip of his tongue. he thinks to say something, maybe a throwaway yeah, i know, but he doesn't even allow himself that. ]

[ despite the pensive furrow to his brow, his expression smooths out. ] If you ever get a chance to choose a lifestyle, say no to the door with the demigod label. [ it's not a happy one — or it's not for this kid, anyway. twenty-four and still holding a grudge that had begun to develop at age nine. ] Turn back time and pick another, if you make that mistake. I'm sure the brightest witch of her age wouldn't misstep, anyway. [ his face pinches. ] All that's behind that door is monsters. A lot of them. And they don't ever really die. [ and he doesn't simply mean those she may read about in her greek myths, either. there's a monster haunting luke, and has been, for quite some time. despite the leucrotae being capable of being slain, this one lingers, untouchable. ]