3 ☭ VIDEO & TEXT | OPEN TO BOTH COURTS

[marred]

dream a little dream of me

[ nine year old luke, minus the scar over his right eye, is in the kitchen, sitting upon a stool with a prototype of a tamagotchi his father (albeit, through his mother) had given to him as a birthday present. it's the first of its kind, his mother had said, none of the other children in the world had ever seen nor gotten their hands on this tiny little egg with a virtual pet inside. he sits at the island, transfixed by his toy, as may castellan smiles, crafting him a peanut butter sandwich as cookies bake in the oven. may glances at him from the corner of her eye, the shade a bright, clear green. ] Why don't you ever ask for a friend? Han could always do with a Leia, Luke. [ her eyebrow rises pointedly, but luke misses it. ]

[ luke doesn't glance up, fiddling with his tamagotchi. shrugging his shoulder, his tone is absent, not paying much attention to her suggestion. ] Maybe. [ he breathes out, ] Han's fine on his own.

[ with her own shrug, may returns to her task while luke seems enrapt with his little pet. but after a while, he notes his mother has stopped moving, and, with a quick glance upward sees him spying may glancing toward the sink, with a taped picture of hermes above it, the edges stained with splashes of water. luke watches her, brows creasing slightly, as sadness seems to sweep over his expression. her features seem to droop, wearing an expression luke describes as sad, her mouth turned down and her eyes dulling in brightness. the tamagotchi remains in his hands, but is no longer the centre of his universe. ] Can we go to the park?

[ may doesn't quite snap out of her reverie until a few moments, his own blue gaze hard against her profile, waiting patiently for her to return to him from a world he doesn't quite understand nor follow. she smiles, but, this time, it doesn't quite reach her eyes. she still doesn't look at him, opting to glance toward the photograph of a man luke's only heard about. hermes, the man who can hear him even when he hasn't picked up a telephone to dial the number he doesn't even know. ] We'll go to the park tomorrow. [ she glances toward him with a smile. ] And, no, we're not getting a dog. [ she goes back to slathering the peanut butter on his sandwich. ] We'll have to leave after lunch, Luke. So no dawd — [ but she stops mid sentence, gasping the rest of the syllable. stilling, her gaze distant. her green eyes seem to spark, a brighter shade swirling within them before he loses sight of her eyes altogether as a scream wracks her body. when the sound seems to make its escape from its prison, she turns to luke with haunting glowing eyes, cloudy, as dense as the fog that occasionally settles atop westport. ]

[ with trepidation, luke waits for his mother to blink and her eyes to turn green again, but they remain cloudy, her stare unnerving. his voice shakes with fright. ] Mom?

[ rather than approach her, acting on his own worry, anxiety builds within his chest as may's face seems to crumple, her attractive features almost turning ugly with fear and grief all at once. her voice is shrill, nothing like the low and warm tones it had been moments prior: ] My son. Not his fate! [ she begins to advance toward him, but despite the focus of her eyes, hard upon him, luke knows she can't see him. he pulls himself from the stool, frightened. her hands grip his shoulders, her knuckles turning white. ] Hermes, help! It's not his fate — terrible and dangerous!

[ wriggling, he struggles to break from her hold, eyes shut tightly as he flinches. luke manages to take a few steps back, stumbling as he does so. the moment he doesn't feel the press of her sharp talons in his upper arms, he turns and bolts out the door. he runs as fast as his legs will carry him, the tamagotchi held tightly within his grip as he stampedes along the footpath, carelessly across the road without looking both ways, until he finds himself at the park, panting. before he can fully bend himself in half and press his hands against his knees to catch his breath, he collapses onto the park bench he walks toward. all of his movements feel as though he's floating on a cloud, his bones and muscles moving of their own accord. ]

[ still breathing heavily, luke's eyes are wet, a few tears having escaped to trail down his cheeks and leave a stain in their wake. he feels one curl beneath his chin, and that's when he wipes it with the back of his hand, before rubbing his eyes roughly with his fingers. it's then he remembers the tamagotchi clutched tightly in his left hand, interfering with his attempts to dry his face and breathe the redness from his neck and cheeks away. opening his fingers, he takes note his little animal seems to be injured. with a few quick presses of the buttons, his brows furrow, from concentration to annoyance, as his little pet begins to fade. ] No, no. Han … [ his little egg tells him his pet is dead, neglected from its owner for not filling its bowl in time. luke's fist forms tightly around the toy before he throws it as far as he can from himself, it landing somewhere in the dirt. through gritted teeth, ] Stupid Hermes.

[ he's uncertain of how long he sits there, seething, but the moment he realises he's calm, the sun has begun to set, and his skin feels damp and blotchy. his gaze skims over the playground, deserted, save for a man sitting on the far bench in the distance. he's shrouded in darkness, but he doesn't seem to move. rather than being unnerved by his presence, luke merely shrugs it off, pulling himself to his feet, and walking the distance back home. ]

[ the front door is closed, but with an easy twist of the knob, he opens it, not remembering it slam behind him in his desire to flee. the house is dark, may nowhere to be found, but his legs, nonetheless, carry him to the kitchen rather than the sanctuary of his room. on the kitchen table, on a plate, is a peanut butter sandwich with a few cookies, some burnt around the edges, and an empty glass waiting for him. opening the fridge, he steals the kool-aid. pulling himself up into the chair, he pours himself a glass and picks at the crust, eating it in silence, the darkness settling upon the house as no lights are turned on. ]

text

[ two hours later, luke will respond to any commentary he earns, but first he opts to press this into the hands of everyone an hour and fifteen minutes after the broadcast. the moment it happens, he knows — he's the kid of the guy who rules technology, after all. despite his own attempts to manipulate the video from sight, he can't quite erase it from the locket network. ]

I guess this is the time to make a confession.

I'm a big Wookie fan.

[ it's easier to be flippant about something he refuses to acknowledge, not even within the moment both annabeth and thalia had met may castellan with a fourteen year old luke. he misses his mom, but it's the shame of his own actions that has him acting as though he doesn't. ]

( ooc: may's vision dialogue was shamelessly borrowed from the last olympian. )

Comments

[marred]

[ jason steals luke's stalling time, closing the window and the door, leaving him to stand like a moron within his own room. it's the gratitude that has him anchored to the floor, incapable of running — luke's never been good at staying around, it perhaps being in his nature to take the high road when things get tough and stormy. he wants to do that now, regretting his decision to even respond to jason, but it's all wiped from him the moment the other demigod embraces him. ]

[ it takes him by surprise, his owns arms removing themselves from his body. rather than return it, they remain where they are, out, like petrified wings, as he frowns. ] What in Hades, Jason? [ it's the only thing he can think to say, voice higher, as the predictions he held toward jason's own movements and his own words are thrown right into tartarus. affection is something luke isn't a complete virgin toward, but it's something he tries to avoid, thinking himself too sharp and hard for such a soft and loving gesture. ]

[oursavinggrace]

[luke is certainly killing the mood of this hug, being all still and awkward, but jason just rolls his eyes and squeezes tighter.]

Would you just relax already? You're my friend. [regardless of what you seem to think.] I know you already weren't alright after Annabeth, and that... [that dream or memory or whatever they're calling these things, an old scene of a mother unhinged enough to chase luke off the same was jason's had thalia.] ...that sucked.

[he's the epitome of eloquence, seriously. it's only after that bit that he finally pulls back, keeping a grip on luke's shoulders so he can eye him seriously, brows pulling together in concern now that he's actually got the guy pinned down for a few minutes.]

You okay?

[marred]

[ relax, says the kid who throws luke out of his element by pushing him and hugging him. he remains tense — even if he were to be patted on the head, akin to taming a wild cat into something soft and domestic, his hackles would still be raised. jason is safe, but the things he says and does aren't. it's in luke's nature to be distrustful, believing the worst in those around him — or maybe it's just easier to set himself up for disappointment, dragging his heels rather than enjoying the stroll through a rather pretty park. ]

[ — albeit, one with a few thorns and weeds that prick at his bare feet and ruin the pretty flowers growing along the path. as if he has the ability to manipulate plant life, jason encourages those weeds to grow by bringing up her name and addressing what the entirety of drabwurld had been witness to. it's weeds and it's dead plants — and luke wants to speak nor see neither of them. ]

Yeah. [ no. it'd been hard enough to admit being vulnerable to jason via text. this, while especially in person, is harder. luke can't hide behind his locket, nor behind the text function. he can't hole himself away and claim he'd dropped his locket or it had died on him. this is the stuff he keeps locked away, so far within his own soul that, hopefully, a titan will never be able to reach it once again. he'd locked himself up within a box when annabeth and thalia had been privy to his mother's antics, lost within her clouded vision and her own routine of preparing a lunch for him he knows he'll never go home to enjoy. he pulls a smile, it entirely mirthless. ] Peachy keen, dude. [ the smile remains in place, shoulder shrugging, but that most likely won't push jason's hand off. ] I'm a-okay. It sure was nice to see you. [ so let go now so he can make like a hermes kid and flee. ]

[oursavinggrace]

[guess who doesn't believe a word of that and isn't letting go.]

I'm serious.

[that's letting you off easy. you can pretend you're just joking around, or insist on keeping all this carefree lone wolf shit up and keep him right here digging through it. if the look on his face is any indication, jason's not tolerating any dicking around right now and he's prepared to stand here all night if he has to.]

[marred]

[ standing is the one thing luke is not great at. it's moving — fast and away from things — that shows his skill. ] So am I. I'm as cool as a cucumber, Grace. Not sure what else you want from me.

[ it's a lie — he knows what he's searching for, digging deep within the carbonite that doesn't so much as crack beneath his own hammer and chisel. it requires luke's own hands to break it, smashing the block into rubble. the thing is, he doesn't want to break it, preferring for everything to be trapped beneath the carbonite block and put on ice until he truly finds his way to elysium. jason can see that, he's certain of it, but he still pushes. ]

[ he shrugs his shoulder again. rather than let that particular gold nugget linger between them, allowing jason to inform him just what it is he expects, luke inhales, appearing as though he's going to open up, when, flippantly — ] I had a Tamagotchi phase. Every kid did.

[oursavinggrace]

[there's something a little disappointed in the way he frowns, a sigh held back and escaping as just a puff of air out the nose. sure, he didn't expect luke to make anything easy on him, but the hope that the guy would understand that he's being sincere here and actually take him seriously is hard to quench.

he lets go of luke's arms, unable to keep up this stare down while talking about tamagotchi of all things, and instead drops down onto luke's bed and looks up at the guy. he might as well get comfortable if this is gonna take a while.]

I never had one.

[you seem to forget that while you were still living at home and playing with cool new toys, jason was living with a giant wolf goddess and training to be a soldier.]

[marred]

[ when luke is faced with sincerity, he likes to smack it right back to where it came from. it's not a pill he can swallow, nor one he likes to — it's a little too late for sincerity, now, something he's said on countless occasions to good old hermes. despite jason not being his father, it's a habit, one luke's not certain of how to break without scraping his own knees. ]

[ luke remains standing, grateful for the space, even if jason lingers. there's no love in his voice, despite the mirthless smile he wears. ] Guess that's the benefit of having Hermes as a dad. You get all the technology before all the other kids do. [ he'd felt special over it, excited his dad had thought of him in such a way to spoil him with someone he could — and did — show off to all the other kids in the neighbourhood. it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, now, merely driving luke to his anger quicker than it had when he had been nine years old and completely oblivious. ]

I'd offer to get you one, but it's no longer hip to be a Tamagotchi owner.

[oursavinggrace]

I'm good, thanks.

[jason plus small delicate electronics isn't a good idea anyway. all it'd take is one stray spark to fry the thing.

he may be sitting and apparently at ease, but jason remains ever perceptive and thoughtful. maybe it's because he really does know the feeling, but it's hard not to see right to the heart of that affectionless snark. he frowns slightly but tries for a more lighthearted tone anyway, all too aware that making this too obvious of a feelings jam is just likely to scare luke off.]

...If it makes you feel any better, I've never met my dad even once.

[and his mom wasn't really much to talk about either. he does get it, luke.]

[marred]

[ unfortunately, it doesn't. luke's had the pleasure of meeting zeus in passing, but he can't say he can speak well of the guy. he still turned thalia into a tree rather than breathing life into her weakened lungs. he's still a dick, by luke's standards. jason dodged a bullet by not meeting that guy — even if his roman counterpart might be fifty percent less of a dick. ]

Zeus. [ the sarcasm is thick in his voice. he smiles, pulling his mouth in a close-lipped mirthless expression. ] What a great guy. [ he thinks to pace, his legs itching to move, but luke remains where he's standing, fighting off the urge to travel the length of his own suite. ] Stole his Master Bolt once. [ his brows pull together. ] Anyone ever enlighten you about that?

[ if he can't somehow push jason from his room by being an immovable boulder, perhaps he can by reminding him that he's not the most swell of guys. this is a mission that's bound to fail — it's almost written in the ball of yarn. ]

[oursavinggrace]

No. No one ever really gave me all the details of what went down on the Greek side of things in all that.

[even after the whole shitstorm that happened with backbiter and all. he does an impressive job of keeping a cool face, but there's maybe a hint of tension in his jaw as he says it that gives him away. he hasn't liked secrets and incomplete information ever, and especially not since all the shit with juno and finally finding thalia.]

Wanna tell me about it?

[it almost feels like a parody of therapy, wording it like that after he'd come to make sure luke was okay. even if he's not specifically asking about the whole mom thing. but all he knows is clarisse's anger and nico's indifference and annabeth's mixed feelings, and he can only wonder if anyone ever got luke's side of the story -- the whole thing, start to finish. and it's not like he can rely on anyone else to give him the complete story, so the offer is made.]

[marred]

[ it's easier to speak of zeus and the master bolt, of how he'd been a pawn in kronos' game, than speak of may castellan. it's something luke doesn't ever want to talk about, preferring others to cast him as the villain. but he has an inkling jason may push one of the topics — and possibly opening his eyes to the manner in which his good old dad works is the better path, the one that leaves luke less like a gaping, open wound. the lightning thief is a story all who bother to ask know. the one of the boy who had lost his mother before he had even understood what became of her when her gaze grew cloudy isn't. it's easier — atonement is something luke castellan doesn't deserve, even if, sometimes, he believes otherwise. ]

[ luke remains standing, arms crossed, mirthless grin still on his face, a solid and thick mask not even backbiter could destroy. his tone isn't similar to that of a mother or father tucking their child into bed and reading them a bedtime story. it's full of malice and sarcasm, removing him from the core of the issue entirely. ] Good old grandpa told me the Master Bolt would be the solution to all my problems. Steal it and bring war among the Big Three. [ he shrugs, like it doesn't matter. a war among zeus, hades, and poseidon wouldn't bring the destruction of the world. it's merely a tiny ripple within a much larger pond — but those three are the pond. ] Seems simple. Had to frame the kid of Poseidon, maybe that'd cause a tidal wave. Did it. Your dad sent Ares on my tail — a few choice words had him opening the door for me. I think he'd even shoot down a cab if I asked for it. [ ares had been easy. the god of war may be an intimidating figure full of anger, impossible to move even with the strongest fingers trying to ply the boulder from its bed in the earth, but with a few well-chosen words hitting his hot buttons, he'd turned to putty in luke's hands. he should've died that day. if ares hadn't been so susceptible to the simple thought of war, the titan war would never have grown into the tsunami it had. ]

Your dad was ready to kill Percy without thought. He was ready to wipe out the entire world for that one, lousy bolt. All that destruction for just one slip of power. [ luke's face twists into something ugly. he shakes his head. and while that mask he wears may be impenetrable to the blade of backbiter, it cracks beneath another. despite any efforts he makes to control the tone of his voice, it lowers, somewhat breaking. ] And all he could do for Thalia was turn her into a tree.

[ sometimes, luke deems it justice he had — temporarily — stolen something so pivotal to zeus. jason's dad — the greek side, anyway — had stolen something precious from luke without so much as a thought toward the ripple effect him morphing flesh to bark would have on a child of hermes. ]

[oursavinggrace]

[maybe a bit surprisingly, he doesn't argue any of that badmouthing. a few months ago, when they'd first arrived, he might have -- gods know he was always willing to give the benefit of the doubt to anyone he considered himself loyal to, and zeus was still ultimately one of the good guys, right?

except since then, he's gotten the story of how dear old dad had tried to murder a pair of kids because he felt like they could eventually become a thread to him, and how he'd actually killed nico's mother. and the thing is, it's hard to defend a person, even just to yourself, when you suddenly actually see how they've made others suffer. when he has to realize that, if not for jason's dad, nico would still have a mom. somehow, there's no shock in learning that zeus had been ready to kill percy too, just a sort of nauseating resignation.

only the mention of thalia actually draws a grimace out of him, and jason drops his gaze down to his lap.]

Yeah, that sounds like dad.